


A Sparkling Soul

by Kay_Erin



Series: The Ruby Series [1]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: Drama & Romance, Eventual Romance, F/M, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-04
Updated: 2019-06-23
Packaged: 2019-07-24 21:51:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16183886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kay_Erin/pseuds/Kay_Erin
Summary: Captain Jack Harkness was never fully alone in Torchwood- he had a best friend, and more, right by his side for years and years. That best friend? Ruby- a woman with her very own secrets. But the two of them will stand by each other’s sides through everything. And as Gwen Cooper joins Torchwood, that limit will be tested. Will Jack and Ruby survive these new trials? Will they stay as close, grow apart, or...grow closer?





	1. Everything Changes - Part 1

**Hello, and welcome to my new Torchwood Series!**

**This will be a JackxOC series, so know that up front. I love Ianto and Jack, but for this story's purpose, that won't be a pairing through the series. Each episode will be split into 3 parts, with a few original parts in each episode. Over the series, we will learn more about Ruby, but it'll be slow. I picture Ruby as Rose Bryne, but with different eyes, as you'll see. ;)**

**This series will be updated slowly and erratically, as I'm working and going to school. So follow to be alerted to future parts!**

-long horizontal line- symbolizes a new section/scene change

_this_  symbolizes a different language (I'll state which language)

_"...this..."_  symbolizes someone's else's thoughts.

**Remember to Kudo, comment, and bookmark!**

**-Kay Erin**

* * *

 Jack furrowed his eyebrows, slowly walking around the Torchwood hub. “Anyone seen Ruby?” he asked.

Owen leaned back in his chair, shaking his head. “No, not since the pizza got here.”

“She didn't even take any,” Ianto said, stepping out of the kitchen. “Wasn't hungry.”

“Hmmm…” Jack nodded slowly, remembering that piece of info for later. “But no one’s seen her since?”

“No, but...she was working on something,” Suzy added.

“Jack!”

The whole team bolted from their spots, running up the stairs to Jack and Ruby’s office. Jack didn't even try to use the handle, instead shouldering the door open, almost breaking the hinges in the process.

The team stopped in its tracks, Jack in front, Ianto and Owen behind him, Tosh and Suzie in the hall, seeing Ruby sitting on the floor with an old, strange contraption in her hand. “I think it’s a radio,” she said, not even looking up.

The whole team sighed, Suzie and Owen walking back to the main area while Ianto held Tosh back for a moment, the two watching Jack step forward. “Where have you been?” he asked anger and worry lining his voice.

She didn't look up from the contraption in her hand. “In here.”

“Really? Cause I was in here two minutes ago,” Jack replied.

“I was in the closet, looking for the wrenches.”

Jack sighed, making her look up.

Ruby looked up, her dark, deep red eyes meeting Jack’s blue ones. A piece of her dark brown hair fell from her messy bun, falling in front of her face.

“I didn’t mean to scare you,” she said softly. “I’m sorry, really.” She smiled up at him gently.

Jack smiled back, turning to nod at Ianto and Tosh. Ianto and Tosh knew Jack well enough when it came to Ruby. Jack was protective, yes of the whole team, but Ruby even more so. It almost seemed, to Tosh and Ianto at least (Owen and Suzie didn’t notice or care), that he was overly protective of Ruby, not in a sibling way but...in a way that if something happened to her, Jack would be crushed, hurt, and...broken. It wasn’t something Ianto and Tosh were sure about, but something they both had inklings over and talked about a few times.

They both moved forward, Tosh asking, “Why do you think it’s a radio?”

“Because I heard a murder reported before you all came,” Ruby replied.

“In English?” Ianto asked.

“Badly translated Gord actually,” Ruby answered. “But originally English.”

Jack moved to the door, yelling loudly for Suzie. “Yes?” she asked.

“Do you still need practice on the glove?’ Jack asked.

She nodded. “I’d like more- why?”

He grinned, looking at Ruby. “We just found one,” he said.

Suzie beamed, rushing back to her desk, calling for Owen. Tosh moved out of the room as well, Jack leaning against the doorframe as Ruby sighed. “That means I should probably put shoes on, doesn't it.”

“Grab a jacket as well,” Ianto said, walking out of the room. “It’s been raining for close to an hour.”

Ruby sighed, standing from her chair, stopping as Jack pointed to her. “No gadgets!”

“But-”

“You know the rules,” he replied. “Come on, we’ll be back.”

She sighed and set down the radio, pulling three or four tools out of her jean pockets as well before leaving the room. “I hate that rule.”

“I know,” Jack replied, chuckling.

* * *

Ruby looked around the alley as the team moved towards the body. The rain was pouring down on all of them, but the team didn’t comment on it around the cops. She stayed near Jack, looking down at the body of the poor man as Owen and Suzie crouched near the body, Tosh moving around, setting up the extra equipment.

“There you go. I can taste it,” Jack said, looking up at the rain.

“Estrogen?” Ruby asked, glancing at him.

“Definitely estrogen,” he agreed. “You take the pill, flush it away, it enters the water cycle, feminizes the fish-”

“And then it goes all the way up into the sky, and falls back down onto us,” Ruby interrupted, watching Suzie slip on the glove. “I know.”

“But really- contraceptives in the rain!” he cried. “I love this planet. Still, at least I won't get pregnant. Never doing that again.”

Ruby rolled her eyes with a smile, crouching down at the feet of the body. “How's it going?”

“Nothing yet,” Suzie replied, glancing at her. “It’s got to connect, I’ve just got to feel it.”

“Then hurry up and feel it, I’m freezing my arse off,” Owen said, leaning in closer.

“I can't just flick a switch,” she replied. “It’s more like access, it grants me access.”

“Whatever that means,” Owen muttered.

Ruby sighed, glancing at Jack as she stood, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her red trench coat. Jack had found it months ago for her and had bought about fifteen, saying now she would never run out. The one she was wearing was technically her second one- the first one had disintegrated thanks to some alien acid the month before. The part that she, and Jack, loved about the coats was that the color of the coat was the same color as her eyes. It was a color Ruby loved, and that had become her staple: everything Ruby wore went with the coat, and therefore her eyes.

“It's like- oh, oh, oh!” Suzie cried, the glove glowing slightly.

Ruby stepped back as the lights on the body all dimmed, a humming sound growing. “Positions,” Jack barked, everyone watching the body. Jack seemed to take a step forward, in front of Ruby as the glove started up, but only Ruby noticed, none of the rest of them. Jack knew Ruby didn’t like the glove, understanding and not asking questions. Suzie didn’t understand, but Jack told her to not ask. And well, that was that.

“If I get punched again, I’m punching it right back,” Owen said.

“Just concentrate,” Jack replied. “Suzie?”

Suzie nodded, sliding the glove under the man’s head, the humming growing. Ruby crossed her arms over herself, trying to fight the instinct to step further behind Jack as the rain slowed around them, the lights growing brighter until the man gasped awake.

The man looked around frantically, stuttering, “There was...What was? I was...oh my god, I was going home.”

“Listen to me,” Tosh said, catching his attention. “We’ve only got two minutes, so it’s important that you listen, okay?”

“Who are you?” he asked.

“Trust me,” she said, ignoring his question. “You’re dead.”

“How can I be dead?” he asked, growing confused.

“You were stabbed,” Owen said, catching the man's attention.

“I’m not dead, I can see you,” the man replied.

“We’ve brought you back but we haven’t got long,” Tosh rushed. “I’m sorry but you’ve got to concentrate, who did this to you? What did you see?”

“Why am I dead?” the man asked in return.

“Who attacked you?” Tosh pushed.

“I don’t want to be dead,” he sobbed, making Ruby sigh and look up. Her eyebrows shot up as she saw a cop a few levels up in the parking garage, staring down at them all.

“Sixty seconds,” Suzie announced.

“You’ve got to think,” Tosh pushed, kneeling closer. “Just focus on me. What was the last thing you saw?”

Ruby stepped up to Jack’s side as he took a deep breath, the two glancing at each other. “I didn't see any...I don’t know,” the man informed them.

“Who killed you? Did you see them?” Tosh asked.

“I, I don’t know,” the man sobbed. “There was...someone behind me.”

“Police said stab wound in the back,” Owen informed them.

“So you didn't see anything?” Tosh asked him.

He shook his head slightly. “No.”

Tosh, Owen, and Suzie looked up at Jack and Ruby, the dead man looking between them all. “What happens now?” he asked.

“Thirty seconds,” Suzie announced.

“But he didn't see anyone,” Tosh cried.

“Don’t waste it,” Suzie snapped.

“What else do I say?” Tosh asked, panicking slightly.

Ruby kneeled down from her same position, not fully comfortable getting closer, smiling slightly at the man. “What’s your name?” she asked.

“John. John Tucker,” he replied, staring into her sparkling dark red eyes, the darkness of the rain and the dark brown of her hair making her skin fairer and her eyes brighter.

“Okay, John,” Jack said, crouching beside Ruby. “Not long now.”

“Who are you?” John asked.

“He’s Captain Jack Harkness,” Ruby answered. “I’m Ruby.”

“Tell me…what was it like when you died?” Jack asked. “What did you see?” John didn't speak, a confused almost scared look falling over his face. “John, tell me what you saw.”

Jack didn’t move his gaze as Ruby glanced between John and Jack, for just a moment.

“Ten seconds,” Suzie said.

“Nothing,” John told him, sobbing. “I saw nothing. Oh my god. There’s nothing.”

Ruby stood and stepped back again as the lights suddenly faded, the rain continuing fully once again as John ‘s head fell slack.

“Shit,” Owen cursed. “I said it was stupid, telling him he was dead.”

“Well you try it,” Tosh replied, standing.

“Told the last corpse he was injured, spent the whole two minutes calling for an ambulance,” Jack reminded them all, looking at Tosh.

“Maybe there’s no right way of doing it,” Ruby said, her voice tense, a tense the team was familiar with. It was how she got after every time they tested the glove like she didn’t want to be around it or have anything to do with it.

Jack looked up, meeting the cops gaze on them. “What do you think?” She gasped, darting away from the edge, making Ruby shake her head as Jack stepped back to join her.

“You could have been nicer,” she told him.

He shrugged, smirking. “But where's the fun in that?”

* * *

Ruby sighed, leaning back in the chair as she fiddled with the radio in her hands again. “Owen commented about the office again,” Jack said, leaning against the doorframe.

She knew what he meant, what Owen’s comment was. Jack and Ruby shared an office, had since they had started this Torchwood, with this team. Ruby shrugged, looking up at him. “We never officially told them which one of us is in charge,” she replied. “And this is the boss’s office, so….”

Jack smiled, tilting his head. “Don’t you know?” Her eyebrows furrowed as she looked up at Jack. “The team answers to me, but I answer to you.”

Ruby smiled, laughing. “Ah, that makes sense.”

“You hungry?” he asked.

She took a deep breath, nodding. “Ya, I could eat.”

Jack leaned slightly out of the office, catching Ianto’s attention. “Order us some pizza? Red decided she’s hungry.”

“Of course,” Ianto replied instantly, moving towards the phones.

“And Ianto?” He turned back as Ruby peaked out of the doorway as well. “After you call them, go home. We’ll take care of it.”

“If you’re sure,” he said slowly.

“We are,” Jack and Ruby said in sync.

Ianto smiled, nodding as he walked to the visitor center, Jack turning to Ruby. “So, anyway we can make that radio speak English?”

“Well, I figured we could try a few things,” she replied, turning back into the office.

* * *

Ruby looked up as a specific alarm went off at Tosh’s station. Grabbing a rag, she walked away from the radio and out of the office to Tosh’s side. “Who’s looking for us now?” she asked.

Tosh’s fingers flew across the keyboard for a moment, before she looked up at the brunette. “Cardiff police,” she said. “Searching for Jack and...you actually.”

Ruby laughed, smiling as Jack approached them hearing their past conversation. “You didn’t say a last name though, right?” he asked.

Ruby shook her head. “Nope. Just Ruby.”

Tosh and Suzie had asked about that before, Ruby’s lack of last name. Ruby had opened her mouth only for Jack to interrupt, telling them to not ask. Jack had stated it was a long, drawn-out explanation that didn’t make any sense. Ruby’s reply to that had only been, “To you.” That was all that had been said, and Tosh had a feeling not much would change from that reply if she asked now.

Jack laughed, shaking his head. “This is gonna be fun.”

Rubby giggled and nodded when Jack looked at the brunette. “Ruby?” she looked over at him, watching him motion to his cheek. “You got a little grease here.”

She used the rag to wipe it off, only for Jack to shake his head, sighing. Rather than wipe the grease off, she had spread it and added more. “You need a new rag,” he said.

She pouted, looking at the now black rag. “I washed it two days ago.”

Tosh smiled as Jack sighed again, pointing towards the office. “Do I want to know how cluttered our office is?”

Ruby slowly shook her head. “Not really.”

Tosh laughed quietly as Jack moved down the walkway. ”Okay then.”

* * *

“We got weevil activity!” Suzie called, standing from her station.

The rest of the team stood instantly, grabbing jackets and supplies. “Where?” Jack asked, slipping on his trenchcoat.

“Hospital,” Tosh replied.

“Ruby!!” Jack yelled.

There was a loud clatter from the office before Ruby peaked out. “Yes?”

“We can clean later,” Jack replied. “We got a weevil attack in the hospital.” Ruby’s eyebrows shot up, but before she could ask to stay back at the hub, he spoke again. “And I wouldn’t mind if you drove.”

She nodded, smiling slightly as she ran up to him, grabbing her coat before running to the garage. Ianto tossed the keys into the air, Ruby grabbing them as she jumped over the railings, as the team finished gathering everything. It was unspoken, but Ruby did not go into hospitals. There was something about them, but the team never talked about it. No one knew why, not even Jack (as far as the team knew). But if he did know, he didn’t say why; she just couldn’t go into them unless she was already unconscious, or there was no other option. If there wasn’t any other option, she was still screaming against it.

Yes, Ruby didn't want to go even near the hospital, but they needed her. It would be easier to get away if she was driving, especially with the alien in the trunk. Plus, she could seem to drive while doing something else as well.

There had been an incident when the team had first formed, and the four new members (Jack already knew, like always) found out that she could drive at top speeds while typing on a laptop and not crash the SUV. When they asked how should do it, she just grinned and replied, “I’ve done more.”

Owen had cursed, asking what the hell that meant, only causing Jack and Ruby to laugh, Jack looking back and telling him he didn’t want to know.

* * *

Ruby bounced her knee up and down, sighing in relief as she saw the team rush out of the back door, Owen and Suzie dragging the weevil to the trunk, a bag over its head. She flipped a switch, opening all the doors for the team including the trunk, beaming as it worked. Owen and Suzie threw in the weevil, slamming the trunk shut before hopping in on either side of Tosh. Jack looked over at Ruby as she flipped the switch again, all the open doors shutting. “Finally got it to work?” he asked.

She beamed, glancing at him as she gunned it. “Took me long enough.” Without glancing, she changed lanes, asking, “Did you run into that cop again?”

Jack nodded. “Ya, why?”

“We got one tailing us,” Ruby said, making the whole team look back, indeed seeing a cop car, lights blazing, following them. “Probably calling in our license plate.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Jack commented. “They won’t find anything, right?”

“Not a trace,” Tosh assured.

“Should I lose her?” Ruby asked.

“Do you want to?” Jack asked in return.

Ruby looked in the rearview mirror, thinking before shaking her head. “Na, let’s have some fun.”

Jack laughed as just as Ruby gasped, her smile growing. “Oh! We can test the parking system!”

“Did you get that working?” Suzie asked, looking worried.

“I think so,” Ruby replied. “I was fidgeting with it yesterday.”

“Why?” Jack replied, not following along.

“We could use the lift,” Ruby commented. “If we’re gonna have fun, we have to do it right.” Jack’s grin was instantaneous.

“Are we going to scare her?” Owen asked.

“Why not?” Jack asked in return, making Ruby laugh. It took a few minutes but making sure the female officer was still following them, Ruby pulled onto the exit for the hub. She pulled up to the tower, leaving the SUV in drive before flipping three switches in order, as the whole team got out.

They didn’t say anything too loud, Owen asking softly, “She still following?”

Ruby nodded, smirking at Jack. “Parked in the no parking zone too.”

Jack laughed. “Security’s not gonna like that.”

Ruby shook her head, the five walking around the tower and stepping onto the lift. “How was the weevil?” Ruby asked Jack, letting him help her up.

He sighed as the lift started descending. “One casualty.”

She sighed as well, Tosh looking at them. “I’ll take care of it.”

“You sure?” Jack asked.

She nodded as Suzie spoke up. “Owen and I will take care of the weevil.”

Owen groaned, “Fine.”

The lift stopped, the team stepping off and going their separate ways as Jack helped Ruby off. “Shall we check on our little officer?” Jack asked.

Ruby grinned and nodded, glancing at Ianto as he passed around coffee. “Did I crash the SUV again?’ she asked.

“No, actually,” Ianto told her. “It was a few centimeters from the wall, but no damage this time.”

Ruby beamed. “Yes!” Taking a sip of the coffee, Jack turned on the CTV cameras outside the tower.

“Ah, there she is,” Jack said, standing straight. Ruby sat down in front of the cameras, smiling as she then looked up at Jack. “How long do you think she’ll be here?”

Jack shrugged. “No clue.”

Looking back at the screen, Ruby tilted her head. It was a familiar motion to Jack, something Ruby usually did when she was thinking. Now, if Ruby was working on a device they had found or a gadget she was making, she usually stuck out her tongue. If she tilted her head though, it was something else completely, like now.

“What?” Jack asked, leaning down to get more on her level.

“...I hope she does what I think she will,” Ruby replied softly.

“And what’s that?” Jack responded quietly.

“Now where would be the fun if I told you?” she asked, smirking slightly. Jack rolled his eyes, making Ruby giggle. “But no...she’s smart...I hope.”

Jack nodded, standing again. “Well, we’ll just watch and see.”

* * *

 

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed the first part! For now, here is where I'll be putting info** **to remember, and answering/commenting on comments. :) Feel free to send me a private message, though i will not be answering anything that would spoil future parts. ;)**

**This first part up is to mainly gauge a response, see if people are interested or not. If it gets enough attention, comments, kudos, ect,** **'ll post another part soon!**

**Thanks for reading, and have a good day!**

**-Kay Erin**


	2. Everything Changes - Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Captain Jack and Ruby run into Gwen Cooper again, and have a little fun with the woman snooping around Torchwood.

Ruby cursed softly, shaking her hand in recoil as she blew out a small flame that had started on the radio that she was still working on. “Got her!” Tosh cried out at the same time, attracting the attention of Ruby and Jack.

Jack looked up from the office, moving to Tosh’s desk at the same time Ruby did, the other two not noticing Ruby keep her slightly burned hand behind her back. “Got who?”

“The officer following us yesterday and today,” Tosh replied, pulling up a file. “Her name is Gwen, Gwen Cooper.”

Jack scanned over the file, nodding slowly, while Ruby just studied the pictures, narrowing her eyes. “Interesting…” Jack muttered.

“Speaking of interesting,” Suzie spoke up from across the room. “She’s back.”

Jack and Ruby perked up, turning to Suzie. “She is?” Ruby asked. 

“Wandering or-”

Suzie interrupted Jack. “Heading straight for the pizza place actually.”

“Ooh, she is smart,” Ruby commented, smiling. 

Jack nodded, grinning as well. “She is. Alright everyone, listen up! We’ll be having a visitor soon.” Owen, Suzie, Tosh, and Ianto all looked to Jack, listening intently as he barked orders. “Everyone work like normal, but quiet. Focus on your work, ignore her. Suzie, Owen, and Tosh, stay at your desk. Ianto, stay up front, let Miss Cooper in, don’t say a lot, as little as possible. Ruby and I will be moving around, but not much. Everyone just stay quiet.”

Everyone nodded, Owen, Tosh and Suzie moving to their desks, while Ianto moved towards Ruby, holding out the medical kit. She gave him a thankful grin, as Jack raised his eyebrows. “And what is that for?”

“For...my burn?” Ruby replied, grinning back guiltily. 

Jack rolled his eyes, sighing. “Again?”

“I’ve almost got it,” she stated, moving to their office.

“Well be careful,” Jack replied. “And just-”

“Follow your lead, I know,” she interrupted, sitting down. “I got it, don’t worry.”

* * *

 

Gwen slowly moved into the hub, looking around as the team stayed silent. She took notice of the hand in the jar, Ruby noticed, before turning her gaze to the team members.

Suzie, Tosh, and Owen were all at their desks, working and ignoring her as Jack had instructed. Ruby was in the office she and Jack shared, paying attention to Gwen as she worked on the radio. Jack, once he saw the officer enter, moved out of the upper meeting room and down the stairs. He passed by Gwen, glancing at her before continuing to the office. 

Ruby looked up as Jack approached, her eyes flashing to Gwen before sliding Jack some paperwork. Gwen, seeing Jack walk away, moved up the stairs to where Tosh and Owen’s desks were, clutching the pizza boxes in her hands.

Gwen passed Tosh, but as she got to Owen, giggling broke out. The giggles turned to laughter, Owen turning around to face Gwen. “I can't do this! I'm sorry, I'm rubbish,” he stated. “I give up.”

Tosh pointed at Owen accusingly. “He set me off!”

Suzie sighed and threw her gloves down. “Well, that lasted naught point two seconds.”

Owen leaned back, eyeing Gwen up and down. “Hmm...she’s actually carrying pizza…”

Ruby rolled her eyes as Jack sighed. “Come on. She was gonna say ‘here's your pizza’, and I was going to say, ‘how much?’” He stood and moved out of the office, Ruby standing and following him as she wiped her hands, with a clean rag this time. “And she says, ‘oh, whatever, twenty quid’, and I say, ‘ooo, I don't have any money.’” Jack leaned against the doorframe of the office, Ruby leaning on the opposite side of the frame as Suzie moved up to the group. “I was working on a punchline. I'd have got there, but it would've been good.”

“Yeah, sure,” Ruby replied sarcastically.

“Here’s your pizza,” Gwen said quietly. “I think I’d better go.”

“I think we've gone past that stage,” Jack replied.

“You must’ve been freezing out there,” Ruby commented.

“How long were you walking around, three hours?” Suzie added.

Gwen looked between the two women in shock. “You could see me?”

Jack interrupted them. “And, before we go any further, who the hell orders pizza under the name of Torchwood?”

Owen shifted before replying, “Er yeah, that'd be me. I'm sorry. I'm a twat.”

“Yes, you are,” Ruby stated.

Gwen stared at Jack. “That man at the hospital, that porter, what happened to him? That was real, wasn't it? He was attacked…”

“He’s dead,” Jack stated plainly.

“But there’s no one gone missing,” Gwen insisted.

“We took the body, retrospectively changed the work rota, planted a false witness who saw him leaving the hospital, giving him an alibi for the next forty-eight hours,” Tosh explained, Gwen turning towards her. “So, when his body's pulled out of the docks next Tuesday night, he's only been missing for three days.”

“He was murdered,” Gwen muttered.

“Yes,” Tosh agreed.

“And you covered it up,” Gwen continued.

“It’s my job,” Tosh replied.

“And that other man,” Gwen said, looking to Jack and Ruby, “John Tucker? Last night in the alleyway, I saw you.”

“And what did you see?” Jack asked in response.

“You revived him,” Gwen stated.

“No,” Ruby replied, watching the woman closely. “What did you see?”

“You resuscitated him,” Gwen tried, looking down

“No,” Jack stated this time. “What did you see?”

Gwen looked back to Jack and Ruby. “You brought him back to life.”

Ruby and Jack nodded in synch. “Yeah,” Jack replied.

“Who-who are you?” Gwen asked, glancing at them all.

“Torchwood,” Ruby stated, spinning a wrench in her hands, Jack stepping forward

“What’s Torchwood?” Gwen pushed.

“This is Torchwood, all around you,” Jack answered.

“And what happens to me?” Gwen asked next. “I'm police. Constable Gwen Cooper. You can't do anything.”

Jack and Ruby exchanged a glance before Ruby stepped forward as well. “Right then, PC Cooper. Do you want to come see?” Jack asked, his hands still in his pockets from when Gwen had first stepped in.

“See what?” Gwen asked, fighting the instinct to step back.

“You saw the murder,” Ruby answered calmly. “Come and see the murderer.”

Gwen hesitated as the two walked away, when Suzie spoke up, “Go with them.” Gwen took a breath and set down the pizza.

“What is Torchwood? Who are you? What is this place?” Gwen asked, following the two. She looked up as a screeching echoed through the chamber. “What was that?”

“Pterodactyl,” Tosh stated as if it was nothing unusual.

“Are you coming?” Ruby asked, glancing back at the woman, her and Jack already moving down a side stairway.

Jack and Ruby moved down a level, leading Gwen to a clear cage, the cage with the Weevil. Looking at Gwen, Jack flicked the light on, the creature growling softly and looking up.

“It's alright, it's safe,” Ruby commented softly, watching the creature. 

“It's sedated,” Jack added, motioning Gwen forward. “It's called a Weevil.” Ruby rolled her eyes, making Jack add, “Or at least, we call them Weevils. We don't know their real name because they're not too good at communicating.”

Ruby muttered, “By your standards,” making Gwen glance at her.

Jack turned Gwen’s attention back to him quickly. “But we've got a couple of hundred of them in the city living in the sewers, feeding off...the well, it's the sewers. You can guess.”

Ruby picked up where Jack left off, kneeling down to get on the Weevil’s eye level. “But every once in a while, one of them goes rogue, comes to the surface, attacks...Actually, it's been happening more and more and we have no idea why. But it's alien.”

Ruby stood, stepping back as Jack turned to Gwen, who was staring intently at the creature. “Look into its eyes,” Jack said softly. Gwen’s gaze didn’t break as Jack stepped back, grabbing a stool. Gently, Ruby put her hand on Gwen’s shoulder, nudging her to sit down. 

“There you go,” Ruby muttered softly. The Weevil’s gaze shifted from Ruby to Gwen, hissing softly. “Take your time.”

“It was born on a different world,” Jack said, leaning against the wall behind Gwen. “And it's real.”

* * *

 

After some time with the Weevil, Gwen had decided she had had enough, so Jack and Ruby lead Gwen back up to the main level. Ruby went for the pizza as Jack led the woman to the area they had been standing in before. 

“Owen Harper, Gwen Cooper,” Jack introduced.  
“Doctor Owen Harper, thank you,” Owen responded, glancing at Gwen before looking back at his paperwork.

Jack rolled his eyes and continued on, turning to the rest of the team. “Toshiko Sato, computer genius.” Tosh nodded to Gwen, before looking back at her screens. “Suzie Costello, she's...third in command.” Suzie glanced up and rolled her eyes slightly, before going back to the glove, Jack turned towards where Ruby was now sitting, Ianto having given her a plate. “And this is Ianto Jones.” 

“Ianto cleans up after us and gets us everywhere on time,” Ruby commented.

Ianto smiled and replied, “I try my best.”

“And he looked good in a uit,” Jack added, before moving to his office.

“Careful,” Ianto replied. “That’s harassment, sir.”

Ruby giggled softly, shaking her head.

“But why are you telling me their names?” Gwen asked, following Jack slightly. “I'm not supposed to know, am I. This is classified, isn't it?”

“Way beyond classified,” Ruby replied from the couch. Jack nodded and went to continue to his office, stopping as Gwen continued.

“Then you shouldn't be telling me. What are you gonna do to me?”

“What do you imagine?” Jack replied.

“Well, I've seen too much,” Gwen stated. “Your names and everything, and the Weevil…” Gwen turned to Tosh then. “And you can dump a man in the water and lie about his death.

Jack slid on his coat, grabbing Ruby’s as he moved out of the office. “Okay, Tosh-finish that calibration tomorrow morning.” Ruby stood and brushed the crumbs off her lap, moving towards Jack as he continued. “Owen, first thing, get a hold of Chandler and Bell, cos I think they're lying.” Jack glanced at the team members as he spoke, holding out Ruby’s red jacket at the same time. “Ianto, if he needs back up, then you'd better be on stand by.” Ruby slid into her jacket, smiling at Jack as he smiled at her, before Jack looked back to his team. “Suzie, I know it's a pain in the ass, but I need the costing on the glove research.” Jack and Ruby moved through the area, before Jack turned to Ruby. “And as for you, you're coming with me.”

Jack stopped then, looking at Ruby. “Did I forget anything?”

Ruby looked up in thought, mouthing numbers, as if she was counting, before shaking her head. “Nope, we’re good.”

“Perfect,” Jack replied, before glancing at Gwen. “This way.”

Gwen paused before following the pair around the tower. “I’m getting tired of following you,” she commented.

Jack paused and looked at her, smirking as he replied, “No you’re not.”

“And you never will,” Ruby commented from ahead of them.

Ruby stepped onto the large stone, Jack following her lead. “Stand on here,” Ruby stated.

Gwen hesitated, Jack insisting, “Come on, next to us.”

Everyone called goodnight as the door opened, the light flashing a usual.

“Now, you came in through the front door,” Ruby said, looking at the woman.

“Let’s take thee scenic route,” Jack added, grinning as he hit something on his Vortex Manipulator.

Gwen gripped onto Jack’s arm as the stone moved up, Jack and Ruby exchanging a smile as Gwen glanced up, then down, then back up.

Eventually, the trio reached the top, the stone locking into place by the Roald Dahl Plass. Jack and Gwen glanced around, Ruby keeping her gaze up, though people passed by, not even noticing the trio.

“But, but they can see the lift,” Gwen stuttered. “Why aren't they- I mean…” Gwen glanced at Jack, before letting go of his arm. “We are right out in the open. They can see everything.”

“Does it look like they can us?” Jack questioned.

“No, but look at us, Gwen responded, holding out her arms. “We couldn't be any more public.”

Jack turned and waved to a man walking past. “Hello!” The man continued on, not lifting his head. “Hey, you there, hello!”

Jack grinned, as Ruby looked back to the two with her. “It's called a perception filter,” she stated, Gwen’s eyes moving to the woman. “He can sort of see us, but we don't quite register. Just like something in the corner of your eye.” 

“It only works on this exact spot,” Jack added. “Step off…” Jack stepped on the stone. “Hi. Nice night.” The woman looked up as he waved, but continued on, Gwen stepping off as well. “And lo, we are perceived.”

Jack held up a hand, helping Ruby off the stone before they walked off, Ruby’s arm tucked under Jack’s.

Gwen followed them quickly, asking, “How does it work?”

“No idea,” Jack replied. “We know how to use it, not how it happens.”

“But if I were to guess,” Ruby spoke up, glancing at the woman, “I'd say that there was once a dimensionally transcendental chameleon circuit placed right on this spot which welded its perception properties to a spatio-temporal rift.” 

“But that sounds kind of ridiculous,” Jack responded as he paused, glancing at Ruby, then Gwen. “Invisible lift has got more of a ring to it, don't you think?”

“But hold on,” Gwen insisted. “If no one can see it when the lift's coming up, there's a bloody big hole in the floor. Don't people fall in?”

Jack scoffed and looked up, before looking at Ruby. “That is so Welsh.”

Ruby shrugged as Gwen asked, “What is?”

Jack looked back to Gwen and said, “I show you something fantastic. You find fault.” And as he finished the sentence, he turned away, walking down the sidewalk with Ruby. Gwen took a moment, glancing back at the “invisible lift” before running after the pair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter, finally! Sorry that it took so long to update, everyone. Life is crazy, so updates will be slow...
> 
> But I hope you enjoyed this update! I have so many ideas for this series, which I just can't wait to write. ;)
> 
> Leave a kudo and comment for a faster update!
> 
> -Kay Erin


	3. Everything Changes - Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby and Jack tell Gwen Cooper of Torchwood, before wiping her mind. But what happens after, neither expected.

Gwen took a long, long drink of her beer, Ruby and Jack exchanging a glance, before she set the glass down. Jack set down his water glass, meeting her eyes. “The thing is, I don’t understand-” she started, when Jack interrupted.

“I tell you what I don't understand. You're gonna rattle on with that ‘how can this be true’ kind of shtick.” Ruby sighed softly, sipping her own water as Jack continued on, looking at Gwen. “What's it gonna take for you people? If you want evidence of aliens, how about that great spaceship hovering over London on Christmas Day? What about the battle of Canary Wharf? A Cyberman in every home?”

“My boyfriend says it's like a sort of terrorism,” Gwen replied. “Like they put drugs in the water supplies. Psychotropic drugs, causing mass hallucinations and stuff.”

Ruby set down her glass. “Well...your boyfriend could be smarter.”

“Oh you’ve met him?” Gwen responded, making Jack laugh and Ruby smile. Gwen smiled softly, letting out a soft laugh, before looking back to her glass.

After a moment, she looked back up. “So...you catch aliens?”

“Yep,” Jack replied.

“You catch aliens for a living,” Gwen repeated.

“Yes, we do,” Ruby responded.

“You’re alien catchers?” Gwen continued.

“Yes, we are,” Jack answered.

“Caught any good aliens?” Gwen asked.

“Tons of them,” Ruby stated.

“That’s a hell of a job,” Gwen replied then.

“Sure is,” Jack agreed, chuckling. Gwen smiled, rubbing her mouth as Jack, then Ruby, took a drink of their waters.

“This is so weird,” Gwen muttered.

“You could say that,” Ruby agreed, smiling.

“And...who are you two then?”

Jack folded his arms, watching Gwen. “Captain Jack Harkness.”

“I did some research,” Gwen commented. “And there's only one Captain Jack Harkness on record. And he disappeared in 1941.”

“Well, that couldn't be me, could it?” Jack responded, his face neutral.

Gwen met his gaze for a moment, before turning to Ruby. “And you? You’re…” Gwen had searched for Ruby, then added that she had had bright red eyes, that her eye color was actually red. She had figured some results would come up, but nothing at all. 

Ruby met Gwen’s eyes, and Gwen realized who Ruby reminded her of- someone who had seen too much. Whether grandparents, veterans, or others from older generations, they had a look in their eyes, a knowing look, as if they had seen so much, and yet at the same time too much.

“I’m no one,” Ruby stated softly.

Jack spoke then, turning Gwen’s attention back to him and effectively changing the conversation. “We don't just catch aliens. We scavenge the stuff they leave behind. Find ways of using it. Arming the human race for the future.” Ruby looked to Jack then, putting one of her hands over his. Jack met her eyes, turned his hand to hold hers, before looking back to Gwen. “The twenty first century's when it all changes, and you gotta be ready.”

“But who’s in charge of you?” Gwen asked, making ruby look back to her. “Is it the government, or what?”

Jack shook his head. “We're separate from the government, outside the police, beyond the United Nations.” 

Ruby spoke then, softly but almost...authoritative. “Because if one power got hold of this stuff, they could use it for their own purposes.”

“But…” Gwen hesitated a moment form the look in Ruby’s eyes. Ruby looked so...insistent then, as if she knew what would happen if someone else got those things. “So could you.”

Ruby just shook her head, another knowing look in her eyes. A look as if to say, “Never.”

Jack glanced at Ruby, before meeting Gwen’s eyes. “All alien technology stays on the base. No one’s allowed to take anything outside.”

There was a pause, before Gwen asked, “So go on then, how the hell did you end up in Cardiff?”

“This is Torchwood Three,” Ruby stated.

Jack nodded, continuing, “Torchwood One was London, destroyed in the battle. Torchwood Two is an office in Glasgow.” 

“A very strange man,” Ruby added, nodding as Gwen took another drink of her beer, the glass almost empty now.

“Torchwood three, Cardiff,” Jack continued, nodding. “Torchwood Four's kinda gone missing, but we'll find it one day.” Jack and Ruby met each other’s gazes, smiling as if they were sharing an inside joke, before turning back to Gwen.

“So you just fancied Cardiff?” Gwen responded.

“There's a rift in space and time running right through the city,” Ruby explained. “The Weevils didn't come in a spaceship. They kinda just...slipped through.”

Jack nodded. “All sorts of things get washed up here. Creatures, timeshifts, space junk, debris.” He shrugged. “Flotsam and jetsam.”

Gwen nodded, joking, “Sounds like Cardiff.”

“Hey, hey hey, don’t knock it,” Jack replied, smiling. “We’re citizen’s.”

Gwen didn’t laugh or smile though, looking between the pair. “But...where are you from?”

Jack paused, looking down. Ruby though, without a second to think and without looking away from Gwen replied, “Everywhere.”

Jack nodded, looking back to the officer. “All sorts of places.”

Gwen sighed, but accepted the answer, leaning forward then. “Thing is, we could liaise on this. The serial killer. I could be like your liaison with the police.”

Jack’s smile fell, and he nodded. “Right, I can see the mistake. You think because we showed up at the scene of crime, we're out to catch the killer.” Gwen nodded. “Sorry, Nothing to do with us.”

“Then what were you doing there?” Gwen asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

“Testing the glove,” Ruby answered. “We need murder victims, simple as that. The glove only works on the recently deceased, and the more violent the trauma, the stronger the resurrection.”

Jack nodded, glancing at Ruby, but looking back to Gwen. “All we need it fresh meat.”

“No, you were asking that man, John Tucker. I saw you,” Gwen replied. “You were asking him about his killer.”

“He'd just been murdered, what else are you gonna ask?” Ruby responded.

“You could get an ID,” she answered. “You could help.”

“We’re busy,” Jack stated in response.

“And your work is more important,” Gwen stated.

Jack nodded. “Now you got it.”

“Well, that's tough shit. Cos if you let me go, then I have a duty. I can tell them what you've got, cos that glove could help us,” Gwen explained, nodding slowly.

“If you remember,” Ruby replied then, making Gwen’s gaze snap to her.

“What’ch you mean?” Gwen asked.

“How’s your drink?” Jack asked, shrugging.

Gwen looked from her glass to Jack, then to Ruby. “Have you poisoned me?”

“Don’t be so dramatic,” Jack responded.

“It's an amnesia pill,” Ruby stated. “My own recipe, with a touch of denial and a dash of Retcon. When you wake up tomorrow morning, you'll have forgotten everything about Torchwood.”

“Worse still, you’ll have forgotten us,” Jack added, shrugging. “Which is kinda tragic.”

Gwen stood up quickly, darting out of the bar.

Sighing, Ruby and Jack stood, grabbing their jackets and following her.

“Don't think you can fight it by staying awake,” Ruby called. “I mixed in a little bit of sedative too.”

“Then I’ll tell someone,” Gwen stated.

“Do you want to do that?” Jack questioned. “Do you really want us to come and find them too?”

“You bastards,” Gwen cursed.

“Language,” Ruby replied.

“Nice knowing you, Gwen Cooper,” Jack called, as she ran down the street.

Jack and Ruby turned and walked the opposite direction, Ruby sliding her arm through his. “I do like this mix though- I think it’ll work like a charm.”

“Can’t wait to see,” Jack replied, smiling.

* * *

Jack rested his hands on his hips, standing on the edge as he looked out over the horizon. 

“You wanted to talk up here?”

He glanced back, smiling as he saw Ruby as the edge of the structure. “There you are. Come on.”

Ruby rolled her eyes but carefully moved out to him, sliding her hands into her pockets. “Why here, Jack?”

Jack sighed, glancing over the city. “...That murder from the other night…”

“John Tucker?” Ruby asked. “What about him?”

“...I found something,” Jack said softly. “And up here...no CTVs to listen in or watch.”

Ruby sighed. “...you found it too?”

Jack’s eyes flashed to Ruby’s. “You too?”

She nodded, his face grim. “What do you want to do?”

* * *

Ruby stood from looking at the camera footage, meeting Jack’s eyes and nodding. Jack nodded in return, glancing at Suzie as she walked out, everyone else still working.

As the door shut, Jack moved to Ruby, closing their office door behind him. “Sound?”

“Working,” she replied, sitting back down. “Recording for our records too.”

“Good,” he muttered, moving behind Ruby and leaning down, watching with her, neither uncomfortable by the proximity.

Jack and Ruby watched Gwen and Suzie move towards each other. Feeling her gut twist as Suzie pulled the murder weapon from her purse, Ruby grabbed her jacket. “Jack…”

Jack had his jacket in hand as well. “I see it.”

* * *

“If I can get enough practice, then think what the glove could do,” Suzie said, the gun still in her hand. “If I could get it work all the time, on anything, beyond the two minutes, if it could work permanently, it could resurrect.” Jack slowly rose from the ground on the invisible lift, his eyes on Suzie as she continued. “Resurrection on demand for the whole world, isn't that good? Isn't it, though? Well, that's what I've been working for, all day and all night. The rest of them go swanning about, but I'm working.”

Gwen, not seeing Jack, kept her eyes on Suzie, her hands up. “You've got to get inside this stuff. Surrender yourself to it,” Suzie continued. “I did, with the knife and the glove, and that's why the perception filter isn't gonna work on me.”

Turning her gun, Suzie shot Jack in the head, his body falling to the floor.

Gwen gasped, stepping back. “What? Who is he? Where did he come from? What have you done?” 

Suzie turned the gun back to Gwen, cocking the gun, neither of them noticing a figure behind Suzie. 

“Please, don’t,” Gwen begged.

“I can’t let you go,” Suzie replied, shaking slightly.

“Please,” Gwen tried.

“I’ve got to,” Suzie replied, making Gwen start to sob. “I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I've got to. I've got to. I've got to.”

Gwen looked up as another gun cocked, only to see Ruby standing behind Suzie, a gun in her hand and her face black. Beside Ruby, Jack stood up, the bullet wound still in his head.

“Put down the gun, suzie,” Ruby stated.

Suzie froze for a moment, before turning around, her eyes wide. She hadn’t heard Ruby at all, and now Jack was standing beside her...the bullet wound in his forehead healing in front of Suzie and Gwen’s eyes.

“Suzie, it’s over,” Jack said then. “Now, come with us.” He held out his hand for her gun, Ruby’s own gun still trained on her.

Suzie looked back to Gwen, who sighed in relief at the thought of being safe. Suzie though, straightened her shoulders. Ruby noticed instantly, about to move forward when Suzie held her own fun to her chin, pulling the trigger.

Gwen gasped, Jack’s hand falling in regret as Ruby closed her eyes, her arm falling to her side. 

Jack looked down at Suzie just as Gwen muttered, “I...remember.”

Ruby and Jack both looked to Gwen. A tear fell down her cheek as she looked to Ruby and Jack, the woman repeating, “I remember…” 

* * *

Ruby slid the glove and the knife into the metal box, closing it and locking it, before stepping aside. Ianto took the box and slid it into the Archives, before looking to Ruby and Jack.

Jack looked to Owen and Tosh, who both stepped forward and put their alien technology on the desk, solem looks on their faces.

* * *

Jack slid the body bag closed over Suzie, before pushing the tray into the freezer. He paused as it slid into place, glancing at Ruby. She nodded solemnly, shutting the door as Jack stepped back.

She stepped back then as well, glancing over the wall. Jack, knowing what she was thinking, slid his arm around her waist. Ruby leaned against him, her arm wrapping around his back as they both turned and walked out of the basement.

* * *

The sun started to rise over Cardiff, Gwen on the roof with Ruby and Jack, who had only been there the previous day.

“Owen and Toshiko,” Gwen said softly, looking at Jack. “You didn't tell them that you were shot in the head and survived.”

“You didn’t tell them either,” Jack replied. “Followed my lead. Keep doing that and you might just get through this”

Gwen shook her head and sighed. “But she killed you,” she insisted, looking to Jack, who was on her right. Ruby was on the other side of Jack, watching the sunrise.

“I can't die,” Jack replied.

“Okay,” Gwen responded, as if she knew what she was hearing was a lie.

“But I can't,” Jack insisted, looking back over the horizon as well, feeling Ruby take his hand as he started to explain. “Something happened to me a while back. Long story and far away. But I was killed…” Jack squeezed Ruby’s hand, looking back to Gwen. “And then I was brought back to life. And ever since then...I can't die.”

“But how-” Gwen started

“I don't know,” Jack interrupted. “One day I'll find a doctor, the right sort of doctor.” Ruby cracked a smile, Jack squeezing her hand again. “...and maybe he can explain it, but until then…”

“Nothing kills you?” Gwen finished.

“Well, it kind of freaks people out, so…” He looked to the woman again. “Best if you don't say anything.”

Gwen sighed, before glancing at Ruby. “You though, you…”

Ruby met Gwen’s eyes then, nodding. “I’ve known for a long time.”

“How long?” Gwen asked, curious. 

“Long,” Ruby replied softly.

“Us two...we have secrets, Gwen,” Jack stated, looking at the woman. “You’ve just touched the tip of the iceberg.”

“Think you can handle that?” Ruby questioned.

Gwen opened her mouth, but closed it, looking away. She then replied, “It doesn't matter anyway. You'll only wipe my memory again.”

“Why would we do that?” Ruby asked.

Gwen’s gaze turned to them in an instant.

“Torchwood's got a vacancy. Job going spare. Do you want it?” Jack asked.

“But...what do you need me for?” Gwen questioned.

“Cause maybe you were right,” Ruby stated. “We could do more to help.”

Jack smiled slightly. “What do you think? Do you want to join up?”

Gwen paused a moment, before replying, “Yeah.” Jack and Ruby smiled, Gwen looking over the horizon again. “I do, yes.”

* * *

Ruby stood from cleaning Suzie’s desk, looking around slowly. 

Jack and Ruby had told Tosh, Owen, Ianto, and now Gwen, to take the day off. And since it was Friday, they would have a three day weekend. Time for Gwen to take care of her old job, time for Owen and Tosh to...sort a few things out, and time for Ianto to relax.

Jack had told Ruby to give the radio a break for a few days, the woman being burned, singed, and almost electrocuted. So, Ruby had decided to clean out Suzie’s space fully, not just the alien items the woman had been working on.

It was bittersweet, packing away what Suzie had been working on, packing away the woman’s hobbies, and even life. But it...needed to be done. Suzie had made a mistake, a big one. Yes, Ruby knew humans did make mistakes, everyone did. But...killing people had crossed that line for her. So while Ruby would miss the old Suzie, she would not miss the Suzie that had been killing for months.

Turning slowly, Ruby looked over the now empty space.

Jack, who had been keeping an eye on Ruby from their office, moved closer to her and asked, “What?”

“This would make a good work area,” she replied.

Jack furrowed his eyebrows. “Work area? You have an office already.”

“I know that,” she replied. “I mean…” Sighing, she met Jack’s eyes. “I’m fine sharing an office, really. I just...feel bad that my tinkering takes up so much space. If I moved my projects and tinkering over here, it would become our office rather  than ‘Jack but mostly Ruby’s’ office.”

Chuckling, Jack smiled. “You know your ‘tinkering’ has never bothered me.”

“I know, but...I still feel bad,” Ruby muttered

“Well, if you really feel that bad...go ahead,” he responded. “It is a good space, good vantage point. Move your tinkering and projects over there, paperwork in the office.”

Smiling, Ruby nodded and jogged up to him. “Sounds brilliant.” Kissing his cheek, she moved to the office, gathering up projects and tools, making Jack chuckle and rub the cheek she had kissed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the final part of Episode is up!! What do you guys think so far? Who is Ruby?
> 
> On another note, is splitting episodes into three parts alright? I'm not sure, so what do you think? Let me know in a comment! And let me know what you're looking forward to in the future! ;)


	4. Day One- Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's offically Gwen Cooper's first day at Torchwood, and things...don't go according to plan. What happens when plans go awry? And is Ruby stranger than Gwen had first expected?

Ruby leaned back in the chair at her new desk, fidgeting with the scanner in her hand. Now, this wasn’t her officially desk, just her “tinkering area” as Jack had taken to calling it. The pair still did paperwork in their original office, but Ruby’s projects and tools had all moved to Suzie’s old desk. Tosh and Owen, who were both still at work, had commented that they thought that the area would be Gwen’s desk now, but Ianto had replied (before Jack or Ruby), that there was another desk free, for Gwen. “Besides,” he had commented, handing Ruby her cup of tea, “Why would Gwen need a workbench?”

Tosh and Owen had agreed, the doctor unwillingly, making Jack just chuckle as he watched the scene play out. At that exact moment though, an alert blared through the base, making everyone rush to a computer. Ruby went straight to Tosh, while Jack went to Owen, both watching the two speedily type; Owen to shut the alarm down and save all their eardrums, Tosh to find out what the alert was for.

Just as Owen stopped the blaring, Tosh yelled, “Meteorite entering Cardiff’s atmosphere!”

Ruby leaned in closer to the screens. “What kind?”

“Familiar?” Jack added, moving to Tosh and Ruby.

Tosh shook her head, typing quicker to get more information. “Unfamiliar. Landing...outside Cardiff.”

“Pack up!” Jack yelled, moving to his office, grabbing his and Ruby’s coats. Owen and Tosh darted up and in different directions, gathering supplies with Ianto, who had started when the alarm first started. Ruby though, darted right to her workbench, gathering supplies none of the other team really recognized, but she always used them.

Ruby stood, a few tools in her hand, and pointed at Jack. “Gwen!”

“Shit,” he cursed, quickly typing on the device on his arm, what Ruby knew was a broken Vortex Manipulator. One she vowed never to fix for him, no matter how many times they argued about it.

Sending a message off, Jack threw Ruby her coat, the brunette throwing it on just as Ianto tossed her the car keys. “Let’s go!” Jack yelled, following Ruby to the car.

* * *

Ruby sped to Gwen’s location, which she had given Jack after the message was sent, before getting right on the road to the meteorite. As usual, Jack was in the passenger seat as Ruby drove, and the backseat was full, like always, but with Gwen in the middle rather than Suzie or Owen.

“Simple locate and clean-up operation,” Jack explained to the team, but mostly for Gwen. “Find that meteorite before anyone else gets their hands on it.” He turned in his seat, meeting Gwen’s eyes. “Good to see you, by the way.”

“Tosh, got a location yet?” Ruby asked, glancing in the rearview mirror as she continued to drive. Right as Ruby spoke, keyboards slid out on either side of Gwen, tilting down in front of Owen and Tosh, who immediately started typing.

Gwen’s eyes went wide, and she looked between the two screens on the back of the chairs, having not realized there were computers in the car. “You got enough kit?” Gwen asked.

Tosh shrugged, glancing at Gwen. “Basic tracking and surveillance.” Pointing to a red dot on the map on her screen, Tosh added, “Got the crash site. With this, we can tap into CCTV networks, national databases…”

“Is this CrimInt?” Gwen asked, looking at the system flashing across Owen’s screen. “This is the police computer system. You shouldn't have this.”   
“Might wanna stop saying you and start saying we,” Jack commented, glancing back at Gwen again. As he sat properly, he met Ruby’s eyes, who shrugged.

About ten minutes later, Tosh said, “Crash site is one hundred meters ahead.”

“That drive should have taken-” Gwen started to mutter, when Owen interrupted.

“Ruby drives like a maniac. Don’t question it.”

Just as Ruby turned down a dirt road, she groaned, seeing soldiers standing and barriers up. “Shit.”

Owen groaned from the back, everyone seeing it now. “The amateurs got here first.”

Ruby quickly threw the SUV into park, everyone getting out. Owen and Tosh moved to the trunk, while Ruby, Jack, and Gwen moved to the front of the vehicle. “Should we-” Jack started.

Ruby shrugged, smirking slightly, Jack stopped instantly. “Well, I mean it’s-”

He smirked back and nodded. “Exactly.”

Gwen glanced confusingly between the two. Had they just had a conversation?

Tosh and Owen approached the other three, making Jack nod to them and say, “Alright, usual formation.”

Jack and Ruby moved forward side by side, Owen behind Jack, Tosh behind Ruby, and Gwen darting to stay with them. “What's the usual formation?” Gwen asked.  
“It varies,” Owen replied.

“How can a usual formation vary?” she questioned, before realizing she forgot a kit, darting back to the van.

The four made their way into the crash site, Ruby flashing an ID at the soldiers as they approached a tent. Instantly, they all straightened and nodded, opening the tent flaps for the team, and almost looking paler.

Jack’s smirk grew, and he glanced at Ruby as they stepped inside, the woman trying not to laugh.

The four started to make their way down to the crash site, when Ruby stopped, making the other three freeze. “What?” Owen asked.

Ruby looked to Jack and simply stated, “Gwen.”

He groaned and ran back up to the tent, the other three waiting in their spot. “Why don't we ever see your ID?” Tosh asked, glancing at Ruby.

The woman laughed softly. “Because it’s more than an ID.”

“What the hell does-” Owen started, just as Jack and Gwen came down the trail.

Ruby smiled at Gwen and Jack, before turning on her heel and continuing down the trail, all five holding onto the line that led downhill.

After a minute or two, they came to a large meteorite sitting in a crater, flames scattered around the area still, lights focused on it.

Owen jogged forward, scanning it and looking it over. “What do we know?” Jack asked.

“Bog standard space debris,” Owen replied, before looking at Gwen. “That's a technical term.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Gwen snarked back.

Ruby giggled softly before moving to the side Owen wasn't on, her hand hovering over the surface. “Now, we all know no meteor is ‘standard’, Owen.”

Owen rolled his eyes as Jack chuckled before he stated. “Well, take all the readings and let's get out of here.”

Owen and Tosh nodded, opening their kits and instantly getting to their readings and samples, Ruby moving around them. She touched the rock gently, humming softly before looking it over. Muttering softly, quiet enough no one heard her, she moved around to the back.

Gwen glanced at Jack. “Is she...touching it?”

Jack nodded. “It’s what she does. We all work with alien stuff but...Ruby’s the expert.”

“That’s an understatement,” Tosh commented, glancing at Jack before moving back to the meteor.

Owen looked to Jack and nodded to the toolbox by Jack’s feet, the later grabbing tools without another word and tossing them to Owen. Tools in hand, Owen started taking samples, just as Ruby moved back to Jack.

“So?” Jack asked softly.

Ruby sighed, folding her arms and whispering back, “I need more info.”

Jack groaned softly, the conversation quiet enough that the other three couldn’t hear them. “That’s never good.”

Owen glanced at Gwen then, saying, “Make yourself useful, sweetheart. Pass us the big chisel from the toolbox.”  
“Not sweetheart, Gwen,” the woman replied. “One syllable. Sure you can manage it.”   
Owen smirked, responding, “Not Sweetcheeks? Freckles? New Girl?”

Just as Ruby opened her mouth to intervene, Gwen stated, larger chisel in hand, “It's a shame your tool's not big enough for the job, darlin'.” Ruby and Jack both smirked, when Gwen said, “Catch,” throwing the chisel in her hand.

Ruby opened her mouth to yell ‘Don’t’ when the chisel landed inside the meteor, cracking it open.

“Shit,” Owen stated.

Jack and Tosh looked over, Ruby instantly pushing Gwen behind her as smoke started to pour out of the crack.

“Masks!” Ruby yelled, Jack immediately grabbing gas masks and throwing them to Gwen, Tosh, and Owen, before putting one on himself.

Gwen looked to Ruby, worry in her eyes just as a purple-pink smoke rose from the meteor, everyone stepping back. To Gwen's surprise though, Ruby stepped forward. Ruby opened her mouth just as the smoke shot into the sky, flying away.

The woman sighed, watching it go, while the rest of the team looked at Gwen, her eyes wide with surprise and guilt.

* * *

The team moved into the hub, Gwen saying, “I’m so sorry.”

Jack looked back at her, “Seriously, stop saying that.”

Everyone moved towards the desks, Ruby leading the way as Gwen continued, “But I am. I mean, really. I mean really, really sorry. God, I can't believe it.”

“Didn't they teach you Health and Safety in the police?” Owen asked, carrying a large silver box as he followed Ruby  
“You two chucked tools at each other, so I…” Gwen responded.

“We didn't miss,” Owen stated.

“Doesn’t mean you should throw things!” Ruby replied, turning around to look at Owen. “Ever.”

He sighed, Jack chuckling until Ruby looked at him. Both men shifted uncomfortably, making Tosh giggle as Ruby turned back around and continued to the small medical space.

“I'll sort it, Gwen said, staying on the upper level. “Whatever's happened, I'll deal with it.”

Tosh set down the equipment as Owen set down the container, Jack and Ruby stepping towards it. “What do you think has happened? “ Rosh asked, glancing at Ruby.

Gwen darted down to the group. “I mean, it was just gas, wasn't it? That can't be too bad, can it?”

“Right, because gas never did anyone any harm,” Owen remarked.

“On the plus side,” Jack interrupted, “We've got good evidence, relatively undamaged.”

Jack opened the container to reveal a large chunk of meteorite, Owen continuing, “On the downside, there's an alien on the loose. We don't know where it is, why it's here or what it's going to do.”

Ruby sighed and glared at Owen as Tosh remarked, “Give her a break.”

“God, this has been the worst first day ever,” Gwen commented.

“Not the worst,” Ruby remarked off-handedly, taking the meteor out of the container.

Gwen furrowed her eyebrows and opened her mouth to ask, when Jack interrupted, looking at Gwen. “We all make mistakes. Get over it.” He looked at the team, gesturing to the meteorite chunk. “Now, we find and recover whatever came out of there.”

“Ahem.” Everyone looked up to see Ianto standing on the upper level now, a clipboard in hand. “This might help. Nightclub death been phoned into 999. Circumstances sound a little unusual. Might be connected.” Gwen jogged up to him, taking the report from him. Ianto glanced at Gwen before looking at Jack and Ruby, who exchanged a look before nodding.

* * *

Less than an hour later, just as the sun had started to rise, the Torchwood SU pulled up to the nightclub Ianto had told them about. Ruby, as always, hopped out of the driver’s side, Jack climbing out of the passenger seat, and the two jogging down the stairs together, past the police officers.

Owen and Tosh quickly caught up, and as the four got downstairs, Ruby paused again. Looking at Jack, he sighed. “This is going to be a regular thing, isn't it?”

Ruby shrugged, Jack turning around and darting back up the stairs. Owen and Tosh exchanged a confused glance. “What’s going to be a regular thing?” Tosh asked.

“Jack going back for Gwen,” Ruby replied, right as Jack came back down, Gwen not far after him.

* * *

The five were gathered in the women’s bathroom with the security guard, all six of them staring at a pile of dust on the floor.

“This is all that's left?” Gwen asked.  
The guard nodded, still in shock. “How's that possible?”

Ruby stepped forward, kneeling down and running her hands through the dust. Gwen and the guard were both confused and disgusted at the motion, Tosh and Owen only slightly perturbed, while Jack was unphased.

Sighing, Ruby glanced at Jack, nodding. He nodded back, before looking back to the guard. “The question is, how did you know this used to be a body?”

The guard told his story, the women looking slightly disturbed as he finished the tale of  how he had watched the couple, the man turning to dust as he finished. “Bit of a shock, I tell you…” he muttered.

Ruby stood from her spot, face grim. “We need to see that CCTV.”

The guard nodded and took them to the security office, Jack and Ruby right behind the man. Gwen, taking the opportunity, glanced at Tosh. “Does Ruby…”

Tosh nodded. “Yeah...don’t know why…”

Gwen shivered, thinking of all the strange things Ruby had probably touched in the past. If the dust of a dead body didn’t phase her, what had the woman touched?

Minutes later, the recording was finishing, the man on the tape turning to dust, the golden energy flowing into the girl. “Wow,” Jack muttered.  
“My God,” Tosh replied.

Gwen stared at the screen in disbelief. “He just…”

“Came and went,” Jack finished.

Owen laughed, glancing at Jack. “Now that's the way I'd like to go.”

“I'm sure we could arrange it,” Tosh replied stiffly.

Jack glanced at Ruby, who had rewinded and paused on the moment that the man had started to turn to gold. She was leaning in close to the screen, studying every aspect.

“How can that be?” the guard asked. “It doesn't make any sense. It's not possible.”

Gwen turned to him and asked, “Do you know the girl's name? Did the two of them arrive together or did they meet in the club? Is she a regular? Would any of the other staff know her?”

“I dunno,” he replied. “We get hundreds of people here every weekend. I don't keep tabs.”

Jack stepped forward, grabbing the man’s arm. “Thanks for your help. We've got all we need.”

The guard nodded before leaving the office, just as Ruby stood back up. “What are you talking about?” Gwen asked, turning to Jack. “We haven't got a clue. We don't even know her name.”

Jack sighed and looked at Ruby, who nodded. Without a word, Jack left the office, Ruby following, which left the other three to trail behind as they left the security office.

“We'll need a body from the cryo-chamber, close match for the dead guy's appearance,” Jack stated, letting Ruby lead the way. He noticed, none of the others did though, that her hand was out, palm up as she led them back through the night club. “Disfigure the face, dump it someplace remote, make it look like a suicide attempt.”

Ruby paused, Jack stopping with her as Owen and Tosh ran back to the car, Gwen looking at Jack in shock. “You have a stash of bodies?”

Jack glanced at Gwen but didn’t reply as Ruby dashed off again, outside of the nightclub this time. She led the way to the alley beside the club, Jack right beside her. Gwen, of course, right behind them. “What about his family? You can't just fake his death,” she insisted.

Jack turned to her and replied, “You want to tell his family he died screwing an alien?”

“We don't know that for sure!” Gwen responded, running into Jack as he stopped, the man watching Ruby, who had stopped as well.

“Ruby?” Jack asked.

She looked over a bare space of the wall, reaching out and running her hand over it. “Same elements we recorded at the crash site,” she muttered softly, glancing at the two with her. “There were traces all over the club, but it’s strongest in this area.” Ruby met Jack’s eyes. “Something happened here.”

Jack turned in a circle, looking over the area before spotting a security camera.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 4! :)  
> This episode was a blast to write, I hope you all like it. The more we get into it, the more we'll see of Jack and Ruby's perspectives, I can promise that.  
> What do you guys think so far? Why is Ruby an alien expert? What is her ID? ;) Let me know what you're excited to see, and what you think so far!!  
> -Kay Erin


	5. Day One - Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The case continues, and Gwen starts to settle into her role in the team.

After Jack and Gwen had gotten the additional footage, Ruby had driven them back to the base, Gwen in the back with more questions than she had gotten answers to. Everyone was gathered in the side room of Jack and Ruby’s office, working on the case. Well, everyone but Owen.

Jack was looking over a chart Ruby had done years ago, scanning it. Ruby was at the desk, going over information with Tosh, Gwen was standing in the middle of the room watching either Jack or Ruby, and Owen...well Owen was playing an arcade game.

“So...what’s this supposed to do?” Gwen asked Jack, watching what he was doing.

“I'm using satellite tracking data to determine the inward trajectory of the meteorite,” Jack explained.

Ruby, without looking up from her paperwork, stated, “He means he's trying to find out where it came from.”  
“Hey! Sometimes a little technobabble is good for the soul,” he replied, glancing back at her.

“So this is a route planner,” Gwen commented, glancing at the map.

Tosh nodded. “Not far off.”

“Rhys, my boyfriend, is a transport manager,” Gwen responded. “He does this sort of stuff. On a slightly smaller scale, though.”

Tosh, Owen, and Jack all paused, looking at Gwen. “You have a boyfriend?” Tosh asked.  
“Yeah. Have you?” Gwen responded, glancing between them.

“I don't have time with this job,” Tosh replied stiffly, looking back down at the paperwork in front of Ruby, just now noticing that Ruby had frozen completely. “Ruby?” she asked softly, but before Ruby could move or even reply, Gwen spoke, turning to Owen.

“What about you? You seeing anyone?”

“You've gotta be joking,” Owen replied just as Jack started scanning again. “I can get all the grief I need here.”

The realization was slowly hitting Gwen, and she glanced at Jack and Ruby. “None of you have partners?”

Owen nodded. “Just you, newbie.”

Gwen paused, glancing at Ruby, joining Tosh in noticing that she wasn't moving. “None of  you, really?”

Ruby stood suddenly, making Tosh take a step back at the quick movement. Ruby slipped past Gwen without a word or glance, moving to Jack and taking the scanner from his hand. He glanced down at her, his mouth open to comment when he saw her face. Seeing the stiff expression and focused eyes, he closed his mouth, watching her work.

Gwen stuttered a moment before saying, “I'm not being rude or anything. Well, maybe I am, but, how do you switch off from all this stuff?” Gwen looked from Jack and ruby to Tosh and Owen. “What do you do to relax?”

Jack and Tosh glanced at Gwen for a moment, before turning back to their work, leaving Gwen to look at Owen. He sighed and stated, “I torture people in happy relationships.”

* * *

 The team had moved out of the office, Ruby still looking over the map and paperwork, Tosh and Owen now at their own computers while Gwen and Jack watched. Jack though, was pacing, and glancing at Ruby every so often.

“Gas traces confirmed as Vorax and Suranium,” Tosh stated.

“Great. My two favorite gases,” Jack responded, glancing up as Ianto came down with a tray of mugs. “Can we do a check and find out what we know about them?”

“I'm all over it, “Owen stated, sitting up properly in his chair as he started typing away.

Gwen glanced at Tosh’s computer then, asking, “What's this doing?”

“I've taken an image of the girl from the CCTV footage,” Tosh replied. “This cross-checks her face with the UK population.” Indeed, the computer was doing just that, comparing random faces to the one Gwen and Jack had grabbed from the alley footage.

Jack smiled at Ianto as he took a mug, watching Ianto then move to Ruby, handing her a mug before muttering something to her. She smiled softly and replied just as quietly, taking the mug. Ianto made the best coffee Jack had ever tasted, and the rest of the team agreed fully, but Ruby preferred a cup of tea to any coffee or soda, and Ianto was more than happy to oblige. Plus, Jack had mentioned to Ianto that she was...stiff, and Ianto knew what that meant- a special tea only brewed on hard days or in hard moments. Ianto never asked why it was needed and made it as good as he possibly could when he was told to. There were some times that both men knew all she needed was to not be asked any questions and given her favorite cup of tea.

“You can't have every face in the UK on there,” Gwen stated, furrowing her eyebrows. “That would be against civil liberties, data protection, all that stuff.”

Jack piped up then, making Tosh and Gwen turn to him. “Still doing that you instead of we thing.” He raised his eyebrows, making Gwen sigh, just as the system finished its search.

“Damn,” Owen commented. “A hundred and nineteen suspects? This thing's supposed to give us a single clear match.”

“The CCTV was too low res,” Tosh replied. “I've tried magnifying and augmenting but it just breaks up. Which means the software can't function properly.”

Ianto, now behind Gwen, his tray of the rest of the mugs on the table near Jack, nodded. “It's narrowed the numbers down. I could check through the rest.” The team glanced at him. “You know, the old fashioned way. With my eyes.”

Gwen gave him a small smile, before turning back to Tosh.“What about the fingerprints I took off the alley wall?” she asked.

Tosh pressed a few buttons, revealing the system saying, “No Matches Found”.

Gwen sighed in response. “It was a long shot, anyway.”

“Just a bit,” Owen snarked.

Gwen’s gaze snapped to his. “At least I'm trying to do something.”

He turned to her and replied, “No, you're trying anything.”

Ruby stepped up then, her hands wrapped around her mug. “The CCTV must have picked up her arrival at the club. Tosh, couldn’t you reformat the image recognition software to trace her journey backwards via street camera network?”

Jack snapped and nodded, turning to Tosh. “Brilliant.”

Tosh nodded as well, turning to her keyboard. “I'll have a go, but it'll take a while to process. Every possible turn on every street corner means hundreds and thousands of probabilities.”

Jack glanced at Ruby, who just nodded. “Have a go,” he said. “At least we'll know where she started the evening.”

Gwen glanced back at Jack, replying, “We could cross-reference that with the addresses of the remaining face matches.”

Owen nodded and pointed to Gwen. “Good one, newbie. That's a bit more like it.”

Ruby smiled, taking a sip of her tea as she leaned against the wall beside Jack. He glanced at her and muttered, “Better now?”

She nodded and replied, “Much.”

He let out a breath of relief, kissing the top of her head before glancing back at Tosh and Owen. Talk of pasts was hard for Ruby, any kind of past- old homes, old memories, schooling...but family and relationships were the hardest. Jack knew why family was hard, that had been easy to figure out, and he had on accident. But relationships...he had never asked about, and didn’t have the courage to.

* * *

About an hour later, Ruby was in her and Jack's office, pacing as he tapped her pencil on her chin. Papers were spread across the desk, the computer behind her still running tests on the rock. “Can’t be there...or there...but then…”

She jumped slightly as a knock sounded, looking to Jack at the door, a soft grin on his face. “You alright, Red?” he asked.

She sighed and ran her hands through her hair. “I don’t have enough information. So…”

“That’s alright, keep working on it,” he replied, glancing over the papers she had out.

It was then Ruby noticed his attire- a full white bodysuit, gas mask hanging off his neck. “Where are you going?”

Jack chuckled and replied, “We found her, and her address. We’re heading over now.”

“Do you want me to-”

“Only if you want,” he interrupted, meeting her gaze. “I know when you're in a mood like this you just...like to keep going.”

Ruby blushed slightly, before glancing at the computer, then back to Jack. “If you don't mind, I’ll stay.”

Jack nodded. “Sounds great. Ianto is making a cup of your ‘thinking’ tea, and I’ll call when we’ve got updates.”

Ruby rolled her eyes but smiled. Ianto, at Jack’s insistence, had stocked every kind of tea Ruby liked. There was the blend Jack got from a secret spot for her bad days, a blend for tiring days, a blend for mornings, a blend for overnight jobs, a blend for when she was brainstorming, and more. Ruby always said it was ridiculous, but Jack insisted, and well...she didn’t fight him all that much on it.

“Be smart and be safe,” Ruby replied.

Jack saluted before leaving the office, smiling a little wider than usual. Part of it was because Ruby was in a better mood, but the other part was because...of what she had said. They rarely left each other’s sides, but when they did Ruby always said that phrase- “Be smart and be safe.” It surprised him at first, but after a while of hearing it...it made him feel happy. Because while they both knew he would always come back, she still worried slightly. And well...it had been a long time since anyone had worried about him like that. It was nice to finally have it again.

* * *

Ruby was ready as the gate opened, the team stepping through with who Ruby assumed was Carys. Jack had called her on the way back, informing her of what had happened, and telling her to get ready.

And boy was she ready. Scanners were up, already working, recordings at full quality, and cell ready.

Owen and Tosh came through first, equipment in hand and tired looks on their faces as they nodded to Ruby before passing her. Next was Gwen, leading a young girl (Carys she assumed), in handcuffs inside. Jack was last, meeting Ruby’s eyes before moving around Gwen. “She what you can find out from her,” Jack said, moving towards Ruby.

Gwen’s gaze followed him. “But aren't you going to help me? I don't know what I'm doing.”

Jack paused, glancing at Gwen, then Carys, then back to Gwen. “Usually better if you don't say that in front of the prisoner,” he said, before moving to Ruby, the two moving to their office.

Ruby watched Gwen lead the girl to the cells, muttering, “She’s so young.”

Jack sighed, his arms folded as he watched as well. “I know.” As the two disappeared from sight, he turned to Ruby. “Figure anything out?”

Ruby nodded and moved to the desk, which had considerably less paperwork than when he had left. “I’ve narrowed down the quadrant, but that still leaves too many planets and too many species.”

He sighed and glanced at the paperwork, not really understanding much though. Ruby tended to write in shorthand, and sometimes in other languages if she was too caught up in her brainstorming.

“Anything in common that could help?” he asked, glancing at her.

She paused for a moment, before nodding. “Maybe a few things multiple would have in common. I can make a list.”

He nodded and stood. “Good, let’s do that...I’m going to have Tosh and Owen go back over the original crash site information...see if there’s anything else we missed.”

“Gwen’s interviewing the girl?” Ruby questioned.

Jack nodded, sliding off his jacket and hanging it up. “Yeah, Figure it’s a good start, and something simple enough.”

Ruby nodded in agreement, both of them stepping out of the office. Jack moved to Tosh and asked about a few things they had gathered, while Ruby moved to the kits, taking out samples and such from Carys’s house.

A few minutes went by, two at most, when Owen called out, “Oi, you lot. Treat.”

The other three looked up, and Tosh and Jack moved over, only to see a screen with the cell, playing out a live feed of Gwen and Carys making out heavily.

“Whoa,” Tosh muttered.

Jack commented, “Wow,” making Ruby stand and move over.

“I thought she said she had a boyfriend,” Owen said.

Jack folded his arms and replied, “You people and your quaint little categories.”

Owen smirked and the three continued to watch. Tosh muttered, as Ruby was close enough to see the screen, “We should really get her out of there.”

“Duh!” Ruby yelled, instantly darting down the steps.

Her yell broke the other three out of it, Jack and Tosh running after her.

Ruby got to the cell corridor just as Gwen stepped out the cell, her phone ringing. She answered the call, looking over to Ruby as Jack and Tosh got there. Gwen nodded to the three of them and gave a thumbs up, Ruby nodded as they all turned and went back to the main hub. Tosh went back to her desk, Ruby smacking Jack’s chest part way there. “What was that?”

“It was-”

“Don’t say a show,” Ruby replied, rolling her eyes and going back to the samples.

Jack followed her. “But it was, admit it.”

Ruby sighed and met his eyes, stating, “Shows don't involve hormones in the air affecting one of the people to do something they wouldn't do.”

Jack stiffened and stood up straight. “What?”

“I felt a hormone shift when I got there,” Ruby explained. “Not how it normally is, and not from the Weevil.”

“Like...what kind of shift?”

“Like a shift worse than that cologne Owen had,” she replied, making Jack curse. “We need to run tests.”

He nodded, running his hands through his hair. “Yeah, guess we do.” Looking around, Jack furrowed his eyebrows. “Where did Owen go…”

Ruby just shrugged in reply. “Go find him.”

* * *

Almost an hour later, they were all sitting around the table in the higher meeting room, eating Chinese and laughing. “And she said, if I'd known what he was, I never would have married him,” Jack finished, telling Gwen a story of a problem they had taken care of a long time ago.”

“She knew. She knew all along,” Ruby added.

Owen shook his head. “But she didn’t care.”

“Until he started leaving black piles of mucus in the bathtub,” Ianto continued, everyone laughing.

“Always the big giveaway,” Jack responded. “Aliens have no sense of household hygiene.”

Just then a small alarm blaised, making them all stiffen. “Shit!” Ruby yelled darting out of her chair and down the stairs. It was a blue alarm light rather than a red or yellow, which everyone knew was a certain Ruby alarm. They didn’t know what it was for, or why it was set, only that it was for Ruby.

Jack was up in an instant. “Ruby!” he yelled, but she was too far down the stairs. Sighing, he glanced at everyone else. “We’ll be back,” he said, before leaving the room and jogging down the stairs.

“Ruby!” Jack called, moving towards their office, where Ruby was typing quickly on their computer. “What is it?”

She sighed and stopped, looking at Jack. “...alert for the TARDIS.”

Instantly, he was by her side. “And?”

She shook her head. “Too far away, and…” She pressed a few buttons before sighing. “Gone now.”

Jack groaned and kicked the desk, moving away from her. He took a deep breath and rubbed his face. “...why wasn’t the alarm set off earlier?” he muttered.

Ruby sighed and rubbed her neck. “I don’t know...I’ll work it out once this job is done.” Jack nodded slowly, staring at nothing as he thought about the missed opportunity.

Ruby slowly approached him, putting a hand on his back. “We’ll find him, Jack.”

Jack nodded and turned, hugging her tightly. Ruby buried her face in his chest, Jack, in turn, burying his face in her hair, both taking a deep breath and calming down.

* * *

-meanwhile-

The door shut, and instantly Owen, Tosh, and Ianto looked at Gwen. “So...what’ve they told you?” Owen asked.

Gwen furrowed her eyebrows. “What about?”

“Themselves,” Tosh stated.

“You’ve all been here longer than I have,” Gwen replied, glancing between them all.

“We were banking on you,” Tosh responded.

“You’re a copper, you’re trained to ask questions,” Owen commented.

“You don't know anything?” Gwen asked. “About either of them?”

“Not who they are, where they’re from,” Owen stated. “Nothing. Well...expect him being gay.”

Gwen instantly grew more confused. “No, he’s not. Him and Ruby…”

Tosh nodded. “Exactly. Owen thinks he’s gay, but I agree with you. He and Ruby have too much chemistry for him to be gay.”

“But they’re not together,” Ianto commented. “They’ve never kissed or anything.”

Owen sighed. “Period military is not the dress code of a straight man.”

“I think it suits him,” Gwen replied. “Sort of...classic.”

Owen choked on his beer as Tosh agreed. “Exactly. But Jack will flirt with anything gorgeous enough.”

“He just never takes action of the flirtation,” Ianto added.

“Well, we know he’s from America, right?” Gwen asked, steering the conversation back to information about Jack and Ruby.

“We don't even know that for sure,” Owen replied.

“No US citizen by the name of Jack Harkness born in the last fifty years,” Tosh agreed.

“And Ruby...we don't know where she’s from at all,” Ianto added.

Gwen furrowed her eyebrows. “Really?”

Tosh nodded. “Her accent is...different than anything we’ve ever heard. And we tested it...nothing. No clear match, not even from a specific part of America.”

Owen sighed. “We have less on her, but nothing on either of them.”

Gwen grabbed a piece of food and leaned back in her chair. “Maybe they’re identities are classified.”

Ianto nodded in agreement. “Used to be something big in the CIA, both of them. That’s what I reckon.”

“They must have their reasons for wanting to keep things secret,” Gwen said. “Both of them.”

“Sure they do,” Owen agreed. “...doesn’t stop me from wanting to know what they are.”

Gwen paused then, hearing a soft sound that she hadn’t noticed before. “What's that sound?”

The other three paused, Owen reaching for a remote just as Ruby and Jack came back. Owen pressed a button, pulling up a screen to show Carys crying in her cell. Gwen slowly stood and moved to the screen, before turning to the team. “What are we doing having Chinese while a girl fights for her life?”

Ruby smiled softly, appreciating the woman’s empathy. “While we’ve been eating, Gwen, the computers have been running a full bio-scan on Carys, profiling her blood, metabolism, organs, skin, everything. So we can see what effect the alien's having on her. They've also been taking samples of the air in the cell so we can analyze and changes in the environment around her.”

Gwen’s jaw dropped at the info, looking at Jack when he added, “Now, is that enough? Do you want more? Cos it gets kinda boring from there.”

Ruby glared at him slightly as Gwen shook her head. “You’ve been hidden down here too long,” she commented. “Spending so much time with the alien stuff, you’ve lost what it means to be human.”

Jack and Ruby exchanged a knowing look before they looked back to Gwen. “So remind us,” Jack responded.

Ruby nodded slowly and added, “Tell us what it means to be human in the 21st century.”

“Alright,” Gwen replied, before moving from the meeting room.

Ruby rested her elbows on the table, leaning on her hands as she watched Gwen go.

“...is that why you hired her?” Tosh asked, making Jack and Ruby look to the team. “Because she’s...more human?”

Ruby smiled softly while Jack chuckled. “No,” Jack stated.

“Gwen is...she has a different perspective,” Ruby explained. “All of us here do. Even Jack and I have differing perspectives.”

Jack nodded, a smile on his face. “That’s why it works so well. And...with what happened with Suzie...we figured it was smart to hire Gwen.”

“She’s different from Suzie, and has a way of thinking that...might help,” Ruby continued. “In more ways than one.”

The other three nodded, Owen and Tosh grabbing their food and leaving the room, making their way to their desks. Ianto stood and started to clean, before pausing and looking at Ruby and Jack. “...you two alright?”

He had sensed something...off when they had come back. They were sitting closer together than normal, which was saying something. Jack and Ruby seemed to move around each other seamlessly as if they knew subconsciously where the other was. That meant they were usually close and in tune with the other. But after the alarm had gone off and they had come back...something had shifted. It was small but noticeable if you looked close enough.

Ruby smiled and nodded. “Yeah, we’re good.”

“We’ll be better once this is figured out,” Jack replied, sighing and glancing at the live video of Carys.

Ianto nodded and turned off the screen. “We’ll all be.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are for another update! This chapter was fun, but the more we get into it, the more fun I have. ;)
> 
> Question for this chapter....why does Ruby have an alert for the TARDIS? O.o  
> Let me know what you think down below! ;)
> 
> -Kay


	6. Day One - Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Torchwood Team finishes the case of Carys, but in order to save her...Jack must take a risky action to save her. Will this action indeed save Carys? And how will Ruby react when Jack takes this action?

About half an hour later, Gwen was standing with Jack and Ruby in the room adjacent to their office, putting up a picture of Carys as she spoke. “Carys Fletcher, born 13th November, 1987. School reports, personnel files from her temping agency, swimming badges. Reports of her mother's death in a car crash. And last years emails discussing the merits of Orlando Bloom and Heath Ledger.”

Ruby stepped forward and slowly looked over everything while Jack glanced at Gwen. “Why have you done this?”

Gwen glanced between the two as she replied, “This isn’t about meteorites or glasses. We have a trapped girl and we have to save her.” Ruby turned to Gwen, giving the woman her full attention as she continued. “When I was with her in the cell, Carys told me she was losing. We have to find a way to keep her fighting. Remind her to hold on to who she is.”

Jack studied Gwen face, silent, while Ruby smiled softly.

“Have I got something on me face?” Gwen asked after a moment.

Ruby laughed softly as Jack glanced at the paperwork, then back to Gwen. “No. No, no, it’s…”

Ruby placed a hand on Gwen’s arm and said, “It's brilliant. You are brilliant.”

Gwen smiled in reply. “Thank you...So I think we should bring in her dad.”

Ruby’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, while Jack’s smile fell. “You’re kidding, right?”

“We've got to find something to connect with her,” Gwen stated. “Make her fight back.”  
“Our priority is to contain the alien threat, not put civilians in a cell with it,” Jack responded.  
“We should be helping her,” Gwen insisted.

“We are, Gwen,” Ruby replied.

“By locking her up?” Gwen shot back.

“Gwen, there’s no other way,” Jack stated.   
“If we don't, who will?” Gwen asked, glancing between the two.  
Jack sighed, asking, “Are you always this awkward?”

Gwen opened her mouth to reply, when Tosh spoke over the speakers in the room. “You should take a look at this.”

Ruby took Jack’s hand and pulled him out of the room with her, Gwen sighing before following. “Whatcha got?” Ruby asked.

Tosh turned to face them and pointed to a graph on the screen. “This is the normal chemical composition of the air in that cell. And these..” She typed, and a red line popped up far above the regular line. “...are the readings from the last hour.”

“Shit…” Ruby muttered, leaning forward, studying the readings.

“The alien's secreting an ultra-powerful blend of airborne pheromones,” Tosh replied. “Sex Pheromones. Thousand times more potent than anything we'd normally experience.”

Jack sighed, glancing at Ruby. “She's a walking aphrodisiac.”

“No kidding,” Ruby agreed, nodding.  
“I did wonder why I…” Gwen paused, looking at them all. “Actually, I sort of snogged her.”   
“We know,” all three of them replied, Ruby looked back at the readings.  
“Now, still wanna put her father in the cell?” Jack asked  
“God, no. We can't let any man near…” Gwen started, before a look of recognition came across her and Tosh’s faces. “Owen.”

Tosh and Gwen instantly ran to the cell, Jack and Ruby staying in the main area. After a moment, Tosh called over the comms, “Jack, Carys is out of her cell.”

Jack glanced at Ruby, the two at a screen seeing what Tosh and Gwen were, the woman nodding and moving to their desk as he responded, “We'll deal with it. And tell Owen Ruby says he needs to work on those abs a bit harder.”

“Hey!” Ruby called, glancing back at Jack, who just replied with a cheeky grin.

She rolled her eyes before throwing him a gas mask.

Moments later, Ruby and Jack both saw Carys come out from another side of the cell quadrant, looking around for an exit. Jack, who was closest, approached her first, his gas mask on, hands on his hips. “No exit, sorry.”

Carys darted to the side he wasn’t covering, which was directly towards weapons Ruby used often. Jack followed, hearing Ruby run from where she was.

Carys tired the doors, which lead to nowhere, before turning, seeing Jack just on the other side of the table A table which was full of weapons. She grabbed one, Jack copying her movements.

Ruby got into eye-sight just as Carys picked up a mace and swung it at him, Jack ducking and taunting, “Yeah? You want a little rough and tumble? Well, let's make it a fair fight.” He picked up a wooden sword and blocked her next swing, following her as she tried to back out of the area. Jack swung then, hitting the wall beside her head, leaving Carys to swing at his leg, making Jack fall with a grunt.

Carys turned around to see Ruby right on the other side. “Not so fast,” Ruby said.

Cary quickly swung, Ruby backing up so the girl missed. As Ruby backed away, Carys darted to her other side, Jack following behind her, now shoulder to shoulder with Ruby.

He moved to swing again, but Carys launched a chair at the two, Jack dropping his weapon to push Ruby behind him and out of the way.

Carys, out of breath, said, “You won't stop me.”

She darted for the exit, but Jack and Ruby took a shortcut, covering the exit for the base. Carys glanced around before grabbing a large jar with a hand in it. Jack reacted violently, yelling, “Put it down! That's worthless to anyone but us.”

He pulled out his gun then, Ruby slightly behind Jack as they turned with Carys, the woman moving closer to the exit. “Down now, or I'll shoot!”

“Says he will but the eyes say he won't,” Carys replied, moving into the lift. “I'm going. Don't stop me.” Jack and Ruby followed close, watching as she grunted, her whole demeanor shifting as she panted, crying, “Please, help me” just as the doors shut.

Without a second thought, Jack and Ruby darted for the stairs, taking them two at a time up to the main entrance.

They got there just as Carys did, Ruby holding the gun now, Jack watching very closely. Ianto looked between the three, asking, “Need me to do any attacking, sir?”  
“Appreciate the offer,” Jack replied, hands ready, glancing at Ruby before looking back to Carys. “Just open the door.”  
Ianto pressed a button behind his desk, the front door opening behind Carys. Jack then moved to Ruby’s side, hands out, Ruby still holding the gun on the girl. Carys glanced at the doorway, before looking back to the two. “Now give me the jar,” Jack said slowly.  
Carys threw the jar behind the desk, it shattering with a crash, before turning and running out.

Jack instantly vaulted over the desk. “No!”

Ruby though, ran after Carys, gun still in hand. The two were out the door as Gwen and Tosh came up. Ianto pointed to the door and they ran, trying to follow Ruby but...lost sight of her as soon as they got to the street.

Jack cradled the hand, breathing heavily as he glanced at Ianto. “Get the spare.”

Ianto nodded and moved to the closet, grabbing a spare jar that would work for now.

A few minutes later, once the hand was in the jar, Gwen and Tosh came back. Jack looked between them before asking, “Where’s Ruby?”

“We lost her,” Gwen stated, breathing heavily.

“We think she’s still following Carys, but…” Tosh shrugged.

Cursing softly, Jack rubbed his forehead.

* * *

Ruby ran after Carys, the girl eventually stopping and turning around. “Leave me alone!”

Ruby shook her head. “Not a chance.”

The girl studied the woman, before asking, “Why?

Ruby stood straighter, lowering the gun. “You know why. Exactly like I know why you’re not Carys right now.”

The alien growled, snarling at Ruby. “‘Your kind! Always meddling in things they shouldn’t!”

“You’re on a planet killing people against the laws set by the Shadow Proclamation!” Ruby replied. “So don’t start that with me.”

Carys, or the alien Ruby supposed, growled and grabbed the gun, ripping it out of Ruby’s hands before she could react. The woman tried to get it back, but as she lunged forward, the alien swung the gun directly into Ruby’s head, knocking the woman unconscious.

* * *

Jack put the hand jar back in its spot, letting out a sigh as he stepped back. “After all I said, a severed hand is more important to you than Carys' life,” Gwen snarked, watching Jack.

Jack glanced at Gwen before moving to Tosh. “Any sign of Ruby?”

Tosh shook her head, flipping through different CCTVs. “No...nothing.”

He sighed in response, patting Tosh’s shoulder before turning back to Gwen. “You want to prove yourself? Find her. Get your old pals in the police to do something useful for once.”

“Find Carys? Or Ruby?” Gwen asked, folding her arms. She couldn’t believe Jack was worried about Ruby, who could clearly take care of herself, rather than Carys, a woman who was losing a fight in her own body.

“Either,” Jack snapped, glaring at Gwen before moving to his office.

Gwen flinched slightly, watching Jack go. A moment later, Ianto was at her side. “He gets like this when Ruby is possibly in danger. It’s worse when she **is** in danger.”

“Ruby can protect herself though,” Gwen replied.

“Doesn’t stop him from worrying,” Ianto stated. He handed her a mug, before glancing at Jack. “They’re close. Extremely close.”

Gwen sighed, looking away from Jack. “I’ll...get looking. For either of them.”

Ianto nodded and glanced at Tosh, who nodded in response. “I’ll keep an eye on Jack,” she stated.

Ianto sighed in relief. “Then I’ll keep an eye out for Ruby.”

The three nodded and split, moving to their own sections.

* * *

Almost an hour later, Jack, Gwen, and Tosh were gathered around the med bay, watching Owen explain the results from his observations. He was explaining that the gasses, and alien, would slowly affect Carys more and more, till she couldn’t breathe, till her heart rate was extremely high, and...until she exploded. Owen, of course, explained this by recreating the entire thing on a rat.

Just as the rat exploded in the container and Owen commented, “Rat Jam,” a voice behind the three piped up.

“Now I can’t have jam for a month.”

The three instantly turned around, seeing Ianto helping Ruby onto a chair, a bandage pressed against her forehead.

Jack shot forward, kneeling in front of her. “Are you alright? Are you hurt? Do you need-”

“I’m fine,” she interrupted, smiling softly. “Just a bump.”

Jack replaced Ianto’s hand on the bandage, keeping it on her head. “Seems like more than a bump.”

“She...surprised me while my guard was down,” Ruby explained. “Took the gun, and...knocked me out.”

“I’ll get the med kit,” Ianto stated, before disappearing back to his office.

Tosh sighed in relief. “We were worried sick.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” Ruby replied. “But I’ll be fine.” She looked at Owen, who was trying to nudge Jack away, but Jack wouldn’t move. Laughing, Ruby said, “Let him look, Jack.”

Jack pouted but took his hand away, Owen looking over the wound. “Blood’s stopped, but we need to check for a concussion.”

Ruby waved her hand as Ianto came back, giving Owen the kit. Owen set to work instantly of bandaging it properly. “We can do that later. First...Carys is going to explode.”

“Yep,” Owen replied.

Jack nodded, glancing back at the tank with the exploded remains of the rat. “‘I’m losing’, that’s what she said to me,” Gwen stated.

Owen sighed before stating, “Right now...it’s a struggle between where Carys ends and the alien begins.”

* * *

Jack and Gwen had just come out of Carys’s ex’s apartment, finding him a pile of dust. Ruby was driving, bot to no specific destination.

“So what's our next move?” Jack asked from the passenger seat. Ruby had insisted she drive, and after a five-minute fight, she won.

“Stop the entire city of Cardiff from shagging?” Owen asked.

“Hmm. Put bromide in the water supply,” Gwen commented.

“No, too hit and miss,” Jack responded.

“Yeah, and the water company wasn’t really happy last time we did that,” Ruby stated.

Gwen’s jaw dropped, and she looked between Jack and Ruby, but before she could speak, Tosh piped up, “It could have used any body in Cardiff. Why her?”

“I just assumed it was random,” Gwen replied.

Ruby shook her head. “No...I think it was the chemical imbalance in Carys’s body from her personal life. Made her vulnerable…”

“And it’s mining Carys’s life to get what it needs,” Jack added.

“So what else do we know about her to give us a lead?” Owen asked.

Owen and Tosh looked to Gwen, but before Gwen could say anything, Ruby gasped. “Where does she work?”

“She’s a temp,” Gwen supplied. “A receptionist.”

“But where’s she working at the moment?” Jack pushed.

Tosh instantly started typing. “Pulling up her employment files...Conway Clinic.”

“You're joking,” Owen stated.

“What's the problem?” Jack asked in reply.

“It's a bloody fertility clinic,” Owen responded. “Sperm donors. An unlimited supply of orgasmic energy without all the build up.”

“Perfect hit,” Jack muttered as Ruby slammed her foot on the gas.

After a moment, Ruby said, “Are we not talking about how Owen knows where a sperm bank is?”

“Hey!” Owen yelled as the rest of the team laughed.

* * *

In no time, there were there, going through the rooms and finding dust piles until Owen found Carys.

His gun was trained on her as the rest of the team came piling in, guns drawn (except Gwen), all five of them surrounding her. “Nowhere to run,” Jack stated.

Carys looked at all of them Ruby’s face particularly hard. “Al the sex….all we see, all we think,” Carys said. “So much beauty and so much fear. We want it but were so afraid of it...Ah!”

Carys cried out, falling to the floor in pain, Gwen rushing to her side. “The strain on her body’s too much,” Owen said. “Any second now, she's rat jam.”

“One more and I'll be strong,” Carys begged Gwen. “Each time, it works less. Each time, the feeling's weaker. One more. Make me feel alive. Make me feel human.”

“I can't,” Gwen muttered.

Jack put away his gun and stepped forward. “I can.”

“Jack,” Ruby responded, everyone shocked at his response.

Jack knelt down and glanced at Ruby as he said, “I've got a surplus of alive. I'm giving it away.” He turned to Carys then, Gwen stepping back. “You really want to feel something?” Before the girl could reply, he leaned forward and kissed her, deeply and strongly.

Ruby looked away as a slight gold came over Carys, the rest of the team lowering their guns. “What’s he doing?” Owen asked, glancing at the others. Tosh just shook her head, Ruby clenching her jaw in reply.

Jack pulled away and smirked. “That was just the kiss. Imagine the buzz you get from the rest.”

Carys smiled before passing out, Jack laying her down and standing as Gwen rushed back over. “That wasn't exactly the reaction I anticipated,” he replied, glancing at Ruby, who didn’t meet his eyes.

“Her body won’t last much longer,” Owen commented.

Gwen shifted, taking off her purse and holding Carys’s head. “Use me. Leave Carys,” Gwen said. “Take my body as host. Just let her live.”

“Gwen?” Jack asked.

“I'm stronger than she is,” Gwen replied. “I'll last longer. You might be able to save me, I don't know…”

Jack paused, and before he could speak, Ruby nodded. “Okay.”

Jack and the rest of the team looked at Ruby, shocked. “You can't let her,” Tosh cried.

Jack watched Ruby for a moment as she put her gun away, her neutral expression not giving anything away. But he trusted Ruby. So, sighing, he said, “Like she said, she's responsible for this.” He took a step back, Gwen shifting over Carys.

“Come on, then. Do it. Leave her,” she said, taking a step back from Carys.

A moment later. Carys’s eyes shot open and she gasped, a pink gas flying out of her mouth and into the air. It hovered for a moment, before moving towards Gwen. The woman took a deep breath and shut her eyes, when Ruby dropped a stone out of her pocket, the portable cell Jack had taken from Owen activating and trapping the alien.

All the team gasped in shock, even Jack, not knowing Ruby had grabbed it. Ruby took a deep breath, watching the gas hit the cell walls, letting out a moaning sound.

“How long can it survive in there?” Owen asked.

“It was pretty weak. Why?” Tosh replied.

“Bit worried how long that battery'll last for,” he stated.

“Don’t, Owen,” Ruby responded, glancing at them before looking back to the gas. “It’s dying already…”

Slowly, the gas disappeared, turning to dust and falling onto the floor, just as the battery on the portable cell died.

Jack and Gwen exchanged a look before looking at Ruby, who was kneeling and running her hands through the dust. “You travel halfway across the universe for the greatest sex. You still end up dying alone,” Jack said.

Ruby paused at his statement, but gathered a sample of the dust, standing. Gwen looked to her, taking shaky breaths. “Thank you.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Ruby replied, before nodding to Carys. “Help her.”

Gwen nodded and rushed towards the girl with Owen, the doctor checking her over as Gwen helped her sit up.

Jack looked from them to Ruby, only to see her gone. He sighed, Tosh noticing. “Everything alright?” she asked.

“...she’s mad at me,” Jack answered.

“Sorry but...I don’t blame her,” Tosh replied, shrugging before leaving the room.

* * *

A few hours later, Jack and Gwen were back at the base. They had taken Carys home after Owen gave the okay, Tosh stating her and Ruby were taking care of the Clinic issue. They had finished after Jack and Gwen, arriving at the base by taxi.

Ruby, Jack noticed instantly, was avoiding Jack. She hadn’t said a word to him and was working in her tinkering space, working on the portable cell. Since then, Tosh, Owen, and Ianto had gone home, but Gwen was still there.

“Still here?” Gwen looked over to see Jack, letting him continue. “Everybody else is off doing...whatever it is they do when they're not here.”

“How long have you been there?” Gwen replied, When he shrugged she said, “I wanted to finish off.”

After a moment, he stepped forward and said, “Do one thing for me. Don't let the job consume you. You have a life. Perspective. We need that.”

Gwen put down the papers she was cleaning, turning to him with her hands on her hips. “Who are you, Jack?”

“I'm sorry?” he replied.

“You can't die. You tell me the twenty-first century is when it all changes, that we have to be prepared,” Gwen continued.

“So you do,” he stated, moving towards her.

“But how can you know?” she insisted.

“You think knowing the answers would make you feel better?” he asked in response.

“Who are you? Who’s Ruby?... What are you two doing here?” Gwen asked.

Jack sighed before stating, “Go home, Gwen Cooper. Eat lasagne, kiss your boyfriend, be normal.”

“But-”

“For us,” Jack said, before turning around and leaving the room.

* * *

Gwen did leave not long after that, waving goodbye to Ruby, who waved back. As the doors to the lift closed, Ruby went back to her tinkering, enjoying the silence.

She didn't look up as she felt Jack watching her, she just asked, “Can I help you?”

Jack sighed and moved forward more. “Why are you mad?”

Ruby set down the pebble, turning towards him fully. “You really don’t know?”

“If I knew, I wouldn’t be asking,” he responded.

“You just...risked your life, kissing her,” Ruby stated.

“It saved her though,” Jack replied.

“At what cost?!” she yelled, throwing up her hands. “We don't know anything about your condition. I’m doing all I can with all I know, but that’s not a lot, Jack. I don't know what happened when you did that, or what the consequences will be.”

“And? I’m still alive,” he stated, holding out his arms.

“That’s not-” Ruby took a deep breath, closing her eyes. When she opened them, she just shook her head. “Nevermind.”

“No, tell me,” Jack insisted, moving closer towards her.

“No! You’re not understanding me, so I’m not going to bother,” Ruby replied.

“Well I’m bothering,” he responded, taking another step closer. As he did Ruby dropped the portable cell stone, making the cell appear around him. “Ruby!” he cried, as she moved around him to grab her jacket.

“It’ll die in ten minutes,” she stated, moving towards the door. “I’ll...be back.”

“Ruby!” Jack yelled as she walked out, sighing as the gate shut. “What the hell…

* * *

Ruby wrapped her arms around her knees, sitting on top of a fairly large office building, watching the sun slowly rise over the horizon. She had been gone all night, and frankly didn’t want to go back to the base at the moment.

She was just...scared, so terrified at what he had done. What if Jack died and that was it? No more coming back? Ruby honestly did all she could to understand what had happened to him, why he never died. But she...didn’t know. She had no idea why it happened, how it worked, none of it. So she didn’t know if he would die and just...not come back. And that idea terrified her to no end.

But he couldn’t know that, couldn’t understand that. He never really had. And...might never.

Closing her eyes and burying her head into her knees, she took a shaky breath, trying not to cry. Because while it was hard not to...it was even harder hiding it from Jack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the last part of this episode!! I loved this episode, but I'm looking forward to future episodes even more. ;)
> 
> What do you all think of the end? Was Ruby's reaction too much or did she react the right way, almost in a way you'd expect? Let me know in the comments!


	7. Ghost Machine - Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new case pops up, and things are tense as Jack and Ruby are still arguing and avoiding each other. How will the case end? When will Jack and Ruby talk things out?

“Owen, Gwen. Left into the alley,” Tosh said over the comms. “Right, thirty meters.”

“What is it? What can you see?” Gwen asked in reply, her breathing heavy, as she and Owen were running. The team had caught a signal, alien in some way, and were chasing it down. Of course, a boy had it and was running. Owen, Gwen, and Jack were running after it, while Ruby and Tosh were back at the base.

“We don’t know,” Ruby replied. “We only have the signal, which is definitely alien.”

“Diagonal right. towards the castle,” Tosh interrupted them, before glancing at her other screen, showing Jack’s location. “Jack, sharp right, twenty meters.”

Jack, who was still in the SUV, replied. “Can you get a visual?”

Tosh glanced at Ruby, who stayed silent, and was looking at Gwen and Owen’s screen. Seeing that Ruby wouldn't answer him, Tosh did, “Still trying to get a visual.”

It had only been a day since the case with Carys, and it was glaringly obvious to the team that Jack and Ruby were upset, angry at each other even.

* * *

**_\--earlier that day--_ **   
_Gwen took the coffee from Ianto, Owen and Tosh with them as well. “Have they been like this all day?” she asked him._

_Ianto nodded. “Yeah, no idea why.”_

_Tosh glanced at Ruby, who had headphones on and was working on a new project at her workbench. Jack, in comparison, was working in the office, door shut firmly as he typed away. “This isn’t good.”_

_“Are they like this often?” Gwen asked, glancing at the other three._

_Owen shook his head. “No. Never."_

_“They fought once, I saw,” Tosh replied in a whisper. “But it wasn’t that bad. Just some yelling, then they went into their office and talked. Everything was fine an hour later.”_

_“They haven’t talked all day,” Ianto informed them. “Not a peep.”_

_Gwen sighed. “What do we do?”_

_Tosh shrugged. “...keep working?”_

_Owen groaned in response. “I’m gonna need a drink later.”_

* * *

**_\--present--_ **

“Fifteen seconds,” Ruby stated, watching Gwen and Owen chase the figure on CCTV that Tosh was following. The woman was following the two, but trying her best to get ahead and get a visual on the person.

“No heroics!” Jack yelled over the comms. “We've got no idea what we're dealing with.”

“Ten seconds,” Ruby stated then, Tosh typing away.

“Got it!” Tosh cried seconds later. “Got a visual!”

Ruby leaned forward and said into the comms, “Suspect's male, wearing a hoodie, hat on, taller side.”

The women watched on the cameras as Gwen pulled ahead of Owen, pushing herself after the male.

“Go, Gwen!” Tosh cried.

Tosh and Ruby watched as Gwen chased him, jumping over hurdles and pushing through people. Then, at the end of a tunnel, Gwen grabbed the man’s jacket, and he slipped out.

Ruby instantly looked at the screen with the signal, seeing Gwen on top of it. “Damn!” the woman cried on screen.

“You did it!” Ruby replied, glancing at the screen with Gwen.

“Oh, I was that close,” Gwen replied, catching her breath.

“No, Gwen,” Tosh stated, seeing what Ruby was seeing. “You got it.”

“I've lost him, Tosh, I've lost him,” Gwen responded.

“I swear. Whatever it is, you're holding it,” Tosh replied.

“Check the jacket,” Ruby stated.

Gwen nodded slowly and did that, before pulling out an object from one of the pockets. Tosh, who was typing away and looking at another screen, didn't notice, while Ruby did. “Gwen!” Ruby yelled, just as the woman pressed something.

Not even a second passed, and Jack and Owen got to Gwen, who now had tears in her eyes. The three talked for a moment, Tosh and Ruby not hearing anything, as the comms weren't activated for them.

“What’s going on?” Ruby called, getting their attention.

Jack gently took the object from Gwen, as Owen pressed his earpiece and replied, “Gwen says she saw a ghost.”

Tosh and Ruby exchanged a glance as Jack said, “We’re on our way back.”

Ruby stepped away from Tosh’s desk and moved towards her workstation. “You got the recordings, right?” Tosh instantly nodded, Ruby sighing. “Good. Start analyzing...I’m going to look into ghosts.”

Tosh nodded and watched as Ruby moved to her desk, slowly starting to worry about her and Jack.

* * *

About twenty minutes later, the team was going over the footage, Gwen having explained what she saw.

“This is the feed from the station camera,” Tosh said, Jack watching for a moment before grabbing the alien device and walking towards Gwen. “Gwen grabs the kid...she’s got his jacket and he just slips out.”

“You okay with this?” Jack asked, glancing at Gwen. She and Owen were watching on a larger projection, Ruby by Tosh still.

Gwen nodded and glanced back at Tosh. “And then?”

“Jack and Owen arrive, then...nothing.” Tosh looked back at Gwen. “Sorry.”

“No. It, it was as real as this is,” Gwen responded. “More real. I didn't just see that little boy. I could hear what he was thinking. I could feel it. Like I was lost.”

Ruby furrowed her eyebrows and muttered softly, “Hear what he was thinking…” Tosh, who was the only one who heard her, glanced at Ruby but didn’t reply.

Owen, who was down in the medical wing, glanced at Gwen. “Intense emotion can be part of a neurological event. Hallucinations, dementia…”

Jack, looked at the device, moved to the middle of the space as Gwen snapped, “I wasn't hallucinating, Owen. And I'm not bloody senile.”

“You pushed this button, and that caused this apparition moment?” Jack asked, not noticing Ruby watch.

Gwen turned to Jack, Ianto now near Tosh and Ruby, a tray of mugs in his hands, as everyone watched Jack. “Yeah,” she replied.

Jack ran his hands over the button, and Gwen and tosh instantly both yelled for him not to, Jack reacting by pulling his hand away. “As if,” he stated.

Ruby stepped forward and grabbed the device, moving away from Jack without meeting his eyes. Jack watched her go, before sliding his hands in his pockets.

“But that’s how it felt,” Gwen explained, glancing at Ruby as well. “Like an apparition. A ghost.”

At this statement, Ruby muttered softly, “Wouldn't be the first ghost…”

Gwen opened her mouth to ask more, but Jack interrupted, moving to tosh and saying, “Toshiko, where do we start?”

Ruby, who didn't fully care about their plan, moved to her workbench with the device, studying it closely as she zoned out everything else. They’d come up with a plan, and while they did, Ruby would start working on the device itself.

* * *

Gwen and Owen had left for the boy, who was now an old man, that Gwen had seen, planning on seeing if it was really him. Tosh, meanwhile, was working at her desk, Jack locked up in his office, while Ruby kept working at her workbench, the device in hand.

Ianto moved over to her, setting down a mug of tea as he asked, “You alright?”

Ruby looked up and sighed, pausing what she was doing. “...don’t know really.”

Ruby had been the one to first warm up to Ianto, liking him and opening up to him. Granted, she liked everyone on the team, everyone that had ever been at Torchwood, but Ianto was...special. He treated her like a normal person, not like an alien expert. Of course, Jack usually did the same, but…

Ever since Ruby and Ianto had really gotten close, he knew her fairly well. Knew what tea she wanted when, when she was tense, when she was upset, and now, she knew he could probably see that she was upset. That was one thing Ruby had always been bad at, hiding her emotions from those that really knew her.

“Do you need to talk about it?” he questioned softly.

Ruby shook her head. “No. I think...we just need a little space. Both just…”

“Clear your heads?” he provided.

She nodded. “Yeah...yeah.”

“Well, I’ll have another cup of tea ready for when you need it,” he said, changing the subject.

Ruby smiled up at him. “Thanks.”

Ianto winked in response, before moving back to his own office, his mind wandering to just how he could get Jack and Ruby to talk again.

* * *

The team was gathered in Jack’s office, all focusing on different things. Owen was, of course, playing the arcade game in the corner, while Ianto handed out food, the rest of the team working on the case.

Tosh and Gwen were going over the facts, while Jack was at a computer away from his desk, looking into the boy that had had the device on him. He was away from his desk though because Ruby was at it currently, scanning the alien device.

“Our friend with the alien machine in his pocket is one Sean Harris aka Bernie,” Jack stated, leaning back against the wall.

“And what he's doing with an alien machine is anyone's guess,” Gwen muttered, before supplying, “Nineteen years old. String of convictions. Burglary, shoplifting, credit cards…”

“Do warn me if he's dropping in,” Ianto commented, handing Jack a danish.

Tosh spoke up then. “The theft conviction: he was stealing tires off a car when the owner turns up, gives him so much grief, he apologizes, starts putting them back on again, which is when the police show up. And here. Shoplifting conviction. Bottle of vodka and three Pot Noodles.”

Owen scoffed. “A criminal mastermind.” He glanced up from the game to Ruby, who was typing away. “Got anywhere with that mystery object?”

Jack glanced at Ruby as she spoke, but the woman stayed focused on the screen in front of her. “Alien, of course. Nanotechnology that makes anything on earth look like a child’s toy.”

Owen sighed. “You’ve really narrowed things down, haven’t you?”

Ruby glared at him, Owen dying at just the exact moment she glared, replying, “Better than what you’ve got.”

Owen glared back, while Gwen looked at the device, which was lighting up and making soft noises. “At the station is was doing this,” she said, and made a motion to pick it up, Ruby grabbing her wrist and stopping her. Ruby shook her head, Gwen nodded and retracting her hand, continuing her thought. “When I held it, it lit up and went mad.”

“It’s not doing it now, is it?” Owen asked.

Gwen just shook her head. “No.”

“Be grateful,” Ruby replied, glancing at the device before looking at the screen.

Tosh looked from Ruby to Jack then, commenting, “So...what next?”

Jack, mouth full, replied, “This kid, Bernie, where does he live?”

Tosh glanced at the paperwork in front of her, before replying, “Splott.”

“Splott?” Owen repeated.

“I believe estate agents pronounce it ‘splow’,” Ianto commented, making Ruby crack a smile.

* * *

The next day, the team scouted Splott, looking and asking for Bernie. Owen had gone solo, Gwen and Tosh had gone together, and to everyone else’s surprise, Jack and Ruby had gone together.

They had asked around and been out for about an hour now. The whole time had been tense, but they had talked about Bernie, and talking about something was better than talking about nothing. Ruby looked around as they left a bar, sighing and rubbing her forehead.

“Nothing,” she stated.

“Nothing at all,” Jack agreed, the two turning down the street. After a moment, Jack paused, making Ruby stop and turn back to him.

“What is it?” she asked.

Jack met her eyes for a moment, before asking, “What the hell did I do, Red?”

Ruby sighed and looked away. “Can we not do this now?”

“No, I want to,” Jack stated, stepped closer. “We haven’t really talked in two days. What was so wrong about me saving Carys that you won’t talk to me?”

Ruby looked up and met Jack’s eyes then, and Jack swore there was a sadness in them, one he hadn't seen before. “I...part of it is because you don't see it, Jack.”

“Well how can I get better or ask forgiveness when I don’t know what I did?!” he cried, throwing up his hands. “When we argued about his last time I didn't understand, and I still don’t!”

“Fine!” Ruby yelled. “Fine. I’m angry because you’re so...selfish.”

“Selfish?” He repeated, furrowing his eyebrows. “I’m selfish because I saved a girl?!”

“No! God!” Ruby turned around, running her hands through her dark chocolate brown hair. “...you’re selfish because you didn’t...you didn’t think how it would affect you! And how it would affect us.”

Jack stared at Ruby, still confused. “What?”

Ruby clenched her jaw, shaking her head as she fought back the tears growing in her eyes. “I...you saved her, but at what cost?”

“Does that matter?” Jack pushed. “I’m fine now. I’m here. What cost is there?”

“I…” Ruby met his bright blue eyes and studied them for a moment. She could see the confusion in his eyes, but at the same time, she saw the ignorance. He really didn’t know how much that had scared her, and how much she...couldn’t be without him. “...nevermind.” Ruby looked away, taking a deep breath.

“No, don't you dare do that,” Jack responded, stepping forward. But Ruby just took a step back, wrapping her arms around herself. “Ruby…”

“I need space right now, Jack,” she replied. “...I...we can talk later.”

“I don’t want later, I want now!” he cried.

“No, I can’t do now,” she stated, stepping back again.

“No, Ruby, no,” he responded, holding out his hand. “We can talk this through, right here, right now.”

There was one thing that bugged Jack about Ruby- she didn't like confronting her emotions. Whenever they argued, disagreed, or anything similar, she would walk away or shut down. Granted, she was getting better, and they talked a lot, about everything really. But for Ruby to be backing out twice now, this had to be big, and Jack didn't want her to keep backing away.

“Maybe I don’t want to,” she replied.

“‘Well I do,” Jack insisted.

“Well, it’s not always about you!” Ruby snapped.

Jack held up his hands and stepped back at the sudden harness in her words, shocked. “..fine, I guess we won’t talk then,” Jack replied, sliding his hands in his pockets. “I’ll...I’ll just go.”

“Jack, wait-” But as Ruby spoke, Jack turned around and walked away, leaving Ruby alone on the street as he turned a corner, moving towards the meeting destination the team had agreed on. Ruby sighed softly, muttering to herself, “Great...you went and did it again…”

Turning the opposite direction, she walked slowly, allowing herself time to think, allowing time to herself.

* * *

Jack stormed towards the meeting point, upset and angry. Not at Ruby….well okay, partly at Ruby, but mostly at himself. He had known her for years, and he thought he knew her more than enough. But apparently not. If he didn't know and couldn't tell what was making her so upset now...did he really know her?

And well, the thought of not knowing who Ruby really was, not knowing as much as possible about her...upset him more than he liked to admit.

Walking down an alley, he spotted Tosh, Owen and Gwen, all with glum looks on their faces. That meant no leads.

Hearing his footsteps, they all turned, and he could see they immediately noticed the lack of Ruby by his side, as well as the expression on his face. “Where’s Ruby?” Tosh asked, glancing behind him.

Jack’s jaw tensed, and he ignored the question, instead responding, “Anything?”

The three shook their heads, making Jack sigh and turn, walking back to the SUV. He could hear the three rush to stand and follow him, the path leading under a bridge.

“What’s he gonna tell us?” Owen asked. “Got it off an alien down the market?”

Gwen, changing the subject slightly, asked, “Where are we going?”

“Back to the railway station,” Jack stated. “Controlled experiment- we replicate the original events as far as possible. Then observe and analyze the results.”

“I have to do that again?” Gwen asked, slightly uncomfortable with the plan.

“Someone does,” Jack replied, an edge to his voice as he turned and asked the group, “Any volunteers?” Without any warning, he threw the device at Owen, who caught it with a grunt.

“We don’t know what it is, what it does…” Gwen stepped closer to Jack, Owen still at the tail end of the group.

“Nope,” Jack replied.

“Jack, this could be dangerous,” Gwen stated.

Jack glanced at the woman. “Yeah.”

“Uhh...I don't mean to be picky,” Owen piped up. “But I think I can spot some flaws in this plan…”

“I’m sorry, I thought you were the guys who gave up looking for a 19-year-old kid this morning?” Jack snapped, the anger in him only growing from the mixture of the argument with Ruby, the lack of anything for the case, and the lack of ideas from his team. “I figured maybe you were after something more exciting. A bit of a challenge.”

Jack spun back around and continued under the bridge, just wanting to get back to the base. God, he needed a drink.

Jack, with Tosh and Gwen behind him, heard Owen mutter something, but Tosh just called his name out, encouraging him to follow. But as Owen yelled “Wait!” they spun around, Gwen rushing towards him as the device flashed familiar lights.

Jack sighed as Gwen calmed Owen down and took the device, knowing the man had just seen something. “Guess we don't need that test,” he muttered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the late update!! Life has been insane, but I school is out for the summer, so hopefully, updates will be faster!
> 
> What do you guys think of this chapter? Rough start to a new case for sure. How do you think Jack and Ruby will make up? When? Let me know what you think! 
> 
> \- Kay Erin


	8. Update

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quick update

Hi all!

I’m am so sorry that it’s been such a long time since I’ve updated. Life has been crazy, and on top of that I’m having major writer’s block. I’m trying to write, but I want to make sure the quality of updates and chapters are high, not just satisfactory.

I’m hoping to post soon, but I’m not sure when that will be. I’m so sorry about all of this.

-Kay


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